Mysterious drones disrupt air traffic at New York Airport Governor urges federal action

New York's Stewart International Airport was temporarily forced to shut down its runways on Friday night due to reported drone activity in the airspace, Governor Kathy Hochul said, calling the situation "has gone too far" and demanding federal assistance.

The runway closures, lasting for about an hour, occurred after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported multiple drone sightings near the airport, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

"This has gone too far," Hochul stated in her response. "I am now calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act."

According to the FAA, the agency slowed air traffic temporarily late Friday night after receiving the drone sighting report around 9:40 p.m. The runways reopened by 10:45 p.m. with no impact to flights. The FAA also confirmed there were no safety impacts to aircraft.

The closure of Stewart International is part of a larger pattern of reported drone activity across New York, New Jersey, and other states in the Northeast, raising concerns and confusion. Some lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), have called for military action to shoot down the drones. However, experts have cautioned that doing so could pose safety risks and is illegal.

In response, Hochul directed the New York State Intelligence Center to investigate the drone sightings and coordinate efforts with federal law enforcement agencies. "The efforts remain ongoing," she said.

Governor Hochul is urging Congress to pass legislation that would enhance counter-drone efforts at the state and local levels. "This bill would reform legal authorities to counter-UAS and strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones, and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies," she added.

Hochul emphasized that until such powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must intervene. "Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people."

Commenting on the matter, the White House said that it has "no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus." Officials have said the drones flying over New Jersey in the past few weeks appear to be commercial-grade and not recreational.

US Department of Homeland Security officials also reiterated that there is no current threat to public safety. The drones involved in the recent sightings have been identified as commercial-grade, not recreational.

The investigation into the mysterious drone activity continues.

By Khagan Isayev