FAA Proposes Permanent No-Fly Zone Over Mar-a-Lago

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it is proposing permanent flight restrictions in the airspace around President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, after the U.S. Secret Service asked for them.

The proposal would bar flights within a one-nautical-mile radius of the property, up to 2,000 feet.

The FAA said the Secret Service sought the restrictions citing adverse threat intelligence, and that the rules would "greatly increase the ability to mitigate the persistent risks posed by unauthorized aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems."

What The Rules Would Do

Mar-a-Lago sits less than three miles from the airport now named President Donald J. Trump International Airport, so a blanket ban would have grounded ordinary traffic. The FAA's plan avoids that: scheduled commercial flights may still cross the restricted airspace if operators follow established procedures, which keeps the airport's main runway usable.

Lifesaving, emergency and law enforcement aircraft are carved out. Operators flying in the zone must get prior authorization and keep two-way radio contact with air traffic control.

The restrictions would sit on top of the wider, temporary limits the FAA already imposes whenever the president or vice president travels outside Washington. Those broader rules would still apply during Trump's visits to Mar-a-Lago.