Arrivals and departures from three US airports were paused while the FAA issued a ground pause to “support the Department of Defense in national security efforts.”
The FAA confirmed to CBS News that flights to and from Wilmington International Airport, Myrtle Beach International Airport and Charleston International Airport have been paused until at least 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. The agency also “closed additional airspace.”
Two American officials The Associated Press That the Biden administration is moving forward with a plan to drop the balloon once it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, where the remains can be recovered.
President Joe Biden said earlier Saturday that the United States would “take care” of the balloon, but did not say what that might mean. The two US officials told the Associated Press that Biden had given the green light to the operation.
Verified reports and photos appear on social media Suspected of a Chinese spy balloonCarrying monitoring equipment and first spotted over Montana on Thursday, it was recently in the skies over South Carolina.
China acknowledged the high-altitude balloon belonged to Beijing, but referred to it as a civilian device “used for scientific research such as meteorology” that was blown off course.
A second balloon has been reported seen over Latin America.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
