Drone Scare Near Air Force One Triggers Ground Stop At Florida's Palm Beach Airport - Report

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A security scare involving a suspected drone near Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) led to a temporary ground stop on Sunday, reported CBS12. A ground stop is an air traffic control measure where aircraft are temporarily not allowed to take off from an airport.

Citing multiple social media posts, the outlet mentioned that a Delta pilot said an unidentified drone had reportedly flown too close to the airport, prompting authorities to investigate.

"They're not sure what it was, but apparently there was a drone that came in too close to the airport," the pilot could be heard saying over the aircraft's intercom, as per the clips on social media.

“They had to scramble some helicopters to go and investigate that,” the pilot said.

Taxiing and departures briefly suspended

Following the incident, all taxiing and departures were briefly suspended while law enforcement secured the area, as a precaution - mentioned CBS12's report.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to depart from PBI for the White House some time today, Sunday, according to his public calendar. However, White House pool reporter Andrew Feinberg posted on X that Trump's plane had not taken off at the time.

He said the US President was at his golf club in West Palm Beach when the incident occurred.

What FAA said?

The Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System Status reported about an hour-long delay in departures at the Palm Beach International Airport, citing“volume". It however, did not directly mention the ground stop.

Donald Trump often spends weekends and extended stays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. In February, an armed man who breached the resort's perimeter was shot dead by Secret Service agents and local police. Trump was in Washington at the time of the incident.

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