UNGA: Small aircraft enters NY's restricted flight area as Biden addresses world leaders

A small aircraft on September 21 (local time) entered the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area in New York City as the world leaders began to participate in the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). As per news agency ANI, a Cessna 182 entered the TFR around 2 pm on Tuesday (local time) and the small aircraft was intercepted by an F-16 fighter jet. US Federal Aviation Administration's North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement that the aircraft was escorted out of TFR “without incident.”

The TFR was in place for the VIP movement in New York from Monday 4.45 pm until Tuesday at 3.45 pm (local time). The restricted regions included the Hudson River and East Pivot. NORAD also said in a statement shared on Twitter that ‘ONE’ is the name given to air defence missions in North America and the North American Aerospace Defense Command “closely coordinated air defence activities” with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It also said that such violations that occurred with the small aircraft are “normal.”

Notably, the developments came during the high-level segment of the 76th UNGA session that began in New York on Tuesday (local time). Leaders from across the globe have converged in the United States for the same. ANI cited media reports to state that the incident of the aircraft entering the TFR area took place around the same time that the US President Joe Biden departed the city after addressing UNGA in the morning and met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

US not seeking new cold war: Joe Biden

Meanwhile, in an address to the UNGA, US President Joe Biden emphasised that Washington is “not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.” Calling for unity and stating that it was “time to move on.” Biden said, “The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas — because we’ll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19 and climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation.”

(Image: AP)