Feds restrict flights over New York’s critical infrastructure, Hochul says

As New York monitors reports of an apparent flurry of drone activity, the federal government has coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration to place flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday night.

In a statement, Hochul said U.S. Secretary of the Homeland Security Department Alejandro Mayorkas informed her of the temporary flight bans, which she said was “purely precautionary; there are no threat to these sites.”

The governor did not specify which sites were affected by the restrictions, or how long they could last. 

“While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology,” Hochul said.

Reports of drone sightings over New York and New Jersey has led Hochul to communicate with federal leaders about the issue since mid-November, she said. Runways at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh were recently closed due an apparent drone sighting.

The governor recently announced that drone detection technology from the Biden administration was being deployed in the Empire State.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at least one 360-degree radar detection system from Robin Radar Systems has been deployed between New York and New Jersey.