Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Elon Musk spoke on the phone to clear up a misunderstanding after the SpaceX founder implied FEMA was shutting down airways preventing hurricane relief.
Musk called and "we had a conversation," Buttigieg told MSNBC's "Inside with Jen Psaki" on Sunday.
"What we found out what was actually happening was the FAA was not closing down any airspace, but there was an issue with pilots who were helping get Starlink equipment to where it needed to be."
Musk had implied on X that FEMA was shutting down airways and his satellite internet company Starlink could not be delivered to parts of North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Buttigieg responded to the post, denying that rescue and recovery flights were being blocked and encouraged Musk to call if he was having any problems.
"Thanks for expediting approval for support flights," Following that conversation, Musk wrote on X. "Just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball."
Buttigieg explained to MSNBC that when there is a disaster, a local airport, fire department, or Coast Guard can request a temporary flight restriction.
This "doesn't shut down the airspace, but it increases the level of coordination that goes on because you want to make sure that the airspace is safe and that you prevent the risk of collisions."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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