Why Was New York’s Stewart Airport Shut Today? Details

New York’s Stewart International Airport was forced to shut down on Friday night after reports of mysterious drone activity in the area, Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed on Saturday. Authorities rushed to resolve the airspace obstruction, which caused interruption for at least an hour.

Concern over drone sightings has grown in New York and the surrounding states. In recent weeks, there have been several instances of similar events in New Jersey, which has alarmed politicians and local citizens. In connection with the drone sightings, the FBI has opened investigations and received more than 3,000 tips. The majority of the reports have taken place at night.

According to Governor Hochul, “This has gone too far,” in reference to the repeated disruptions caused by the drones. One of the many such occurrences in the area is the closure of Stewart Airfield, which is situated near New Windsor, New York, north of Manhattan. Within 24 hours of the airport shutdown, the New York State Police (NYSP) received many complaints of drone sightings. The NYSP emphasized that none of the sightings seemed to be a threat to public safety at this time.

According to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as of Thursday, there is no indication that the drone activity poses a national security danger, while law enforcement authorities continue their investigations. To learn more about the sightings, the two organizations are coordinating with local authorities.

In mid-November, Governor Hochul instructed the NYS Intelligence Center to conduct an aggressive investigation into the occurrences. Close cooperation with federal law enforcement authorities is required for the inquiry. She also called on Congress to enact the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act in her statement on Saturday. This law would provide state and municipal governments additional authority over drone operations and increase the legal authority to combat Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

The measure intends to provide some state and local law enforcement agencies more counter-UAS authority and strengthen the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) drone monitoring. In order to safeguard vital infrastructure, Hochul underlined the necessity of such legislation and urged the Biden administration to allocate more federal funds to New York and the neighboring regions.

Meanwhile, in response to the growing number of drone sightings in his state, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden on Friday, asking for further government assistance. Since November 18, the New Jersey State Police have been looking into reports of UAS sightings. Murphy emphasized that additional resources were needed for a comprehensive investigation, even with the DHS and FBI’s help.

Additionally, the governor called on Congress to renew the federal government’s counter-UAS powers. Murphy cautioned that state and local law enforcement’s capacity to address the drone issue would be hampered by the absence of appropriate authorization in a separate letter to Senate and House leaders. In order to improve their reaction, he also urged local authorities to be equipped with cutting-edge drone detection and mitigation technologies.

President-elect Donald Trump addressed the drone sightings on Friday night on a national platform, saying that the government had to be more open about the investigations that are still on. Trump said on Truth Social that if the drones were a threat, they should be shot down. He accused the Biden administration of omitting important information about the problem.