Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says Elon Musk’s claims that the Federal Aviation Administration was shutting down air space in the disaster zone was not factual and that if he was encountering a problem to “give me a call.”
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, made the claim early Friday in a post on X, his social media platform.
“The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!!” he wrote, along with a message from an unidentified person stating that the FAA was “about to shut down the Air Space to ‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies. … We need help to get word out about FEMA, we spoke with Ivanka and handed out starlinks with her yesterday but FEMA then showed up and started blocking us.”
Buttigieg responded: “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”
An hour later, Musk replied: “There are hundreds of reports of FEMA/FAA blocking flights. This literally just happened. I will follow you. Please DM me the number to call.”
And soon after added: “Still waiting … the helicopter is trying to land to deliver critical supplies. What’s the number to call?”
An FAA spokesperson told CNBC there “are no airspace restrictions in place in North Carolina as rescue efforts continue because of Hurricane Helene.
“Pilots looking to come into Asheville or Rutherford airports need to reach out to the airport for permission to land. The FAA is working with local authorities to ensure rescue efforts happen safely,” the person added.