HOUSTON — The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed temporary flight restrictions over parts of Houston from Thursday through Friday as President Donald Trump visits the city, including a stop at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The FAA issued the restrictions for “VIP movement,” with the first restrictions taking effect at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and portions remaining in place until 2 p.m. Friday.
The restricted airspace covers roughly 30 nautical miles around designated locations, with tighter restrictions within 10 nautical miles. The restrictions extend from the ground to 17,999 feet, according to the FAA.
The rules prohibit several aviation activities during the restricted periods, including drone operations, flight training, sightseeing flights, banner towing, skydiving, glider operations and crop dusting.
Some scheduled passenger and cargo flights may continue if they meet the security requirements outlined in the FAA notice.
General aviation operations at William P. Hobby Airport, Ellington Airport and La Porte Municipal Airport will face restrictions from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. Thursday and again from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, according to the National Business Aviation Association.
The restrictions coincide with Trump’s planned visit to Johnson Space Center, where he is scheduled to present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of the Artemis II crew: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Trump’s Houston itinerary also includes a Republican National Committee fundraiser for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate against Democrat James Talarico, according to The New York Times. The fundraiser will be closed to the press.
The FAA restrictions will remain in effect according to the times specified in its temporary flight restriction notice.
