The FAA describes the restrictions as being issued for “VIP movement,” starting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, with portions remaining in effect through 2 p.m. Friday.
The restricted airspace extends roughly 30 nautical miles around designated locations, with tighter restrictions inside 10-nautical-mile zones. Restrictions extend from the ground to 17,999 feet, according to the FAA notice.
A long list of aviation activities is prohibited during that window, including drones, flight training, sightseeing operations, banner towing, skydiving, glider operations and crop dusting.
Commercial airlines aren’t necessarily grounded. Certain regularly scheduled passenger and cargo flights can continue provided they meet security requirements laid out in the restriction.
The biggest effects appear likely around Hobby and southeast Houston. The National Business Aviation Association said general aviation operations will be prohibited at William P. Hobby Airport, Ellington Airport and La Porte Municipal Airport from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. Thursday and again from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
The restrictions coincide with Trump’s scheduled Houston visit to Johnson Space Center, where NASA announced he will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of the Artemis II crew: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Trump’s Houston trip also includes politics. The New York Times reported Thursday the Republican National Committee is holding a Houston fundraiser for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate against Democrat James Talarico. The fundraiser is closed to the press, according to the Times.