The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking to make the skies above Mar-a-Lago a no-fly zone for good. The agency has proposed permanent special flight rules that would restrict aircraft operations around President Donald Trump's private resort in Palm Beach, Florida, all in the name of national security.
In a proposal published by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday, the FAA said it wants to "implement certain Special Air Traffic Rules" in the airspace around the President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT), formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).
The proposal notes that the "U.S. Secret Service (USSS) requested FAA restrict aircraft operations" around Mar-a-Lago, which sits directly in line with the airport. That's a problem because DJT has three runways, and the primary one for commercial flights, 28R/10L, would essentially become unusable if the restricted area is established.
"Aircraft would essentially be unable to use Runway 28R/10L if FAA established a prohibited area," the proposal states. It adds that "establishing a flight prohibition over Mar-A-Lago Club would severely restrict access to DJT," since the alternative runway, 14/32, is 3,000 feet shorter than the main one.
This isn't a new concern. Back in October, the FAA put a temporary restriction in place, creating a no-fly zone within a one-nautical-mile radius (about 1.15 miles) and up to 2,000 feet around the resort, at all times, again citing Secret Service security concerns. The new rule would make that temporary measure permanent.
Meanwhile, Trump was busy making headlines on another front. On Wednesday, he suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the "Trump Strait," claiming the U.S. controls the waterway that handles about a fifth of the world's oil supply. That idea didn't sit well with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who pointed out that ordinary Americans are dealing with rising gas prices.
