Air Force One: Ground stop issued at Florida International Airport after incident near Donald Trump

F-16 aircraft and choppers have been deployed in Florida near where US President Donald Trump and Air Force One were, with an urgent ground stop issued by authorities.

Mr Trump had spent the weekend in Palm Beach, where he participated in “executive time”, a MAGA meeting and a finner art Mar-a-Lago, according to his official schedule, and was expected to return to the White House on Sunday evening.

On Sunday afternoon, an incident near Air Force One saw an F-16 aircraft launched, a military helicopter deployed, and flares released.

Initial reports suggested that a drone had entered restricted airspace, however, a later statement revealed the incident involved another plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an urgent ground stop, meaning all planes in the area were required to stay on land.

“Today, NORAD F-16 aircraft responded to a civilian aircraft that entered restricted airspace under a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over Palm Beach, Florida,” NORAD Command said in a statement on X.

It is understood flares were deployed in an attempt to contact the pilot of the aircraft, who was not responding.

Footage quickly surfaced online showing a military helicopter flying over Palm Beach International Airport.

Another video, captured by a Delta Airlines passenger, caught the moment a pilot informed those on board that a drone had been spotted.

“A drone came in too close,” he can be heard saying.

“They had to scramble some helicopters to investigate that.”

The White House is yet to comment on the situation; however, other agencies have since stated there was no risk to Air Force One or the US President.

It is understood Mr Trump later returned to Washington DC.