Airspace over parts of Lake Michigan reopens after restrictions due to defense activity, FAA says

CHICAGO (WLS) — Airspace over parts of Lake Michigan was under temporary flight restrictions for national defense reasons, according to a Federal Aviation Administration notice issued Sunday.

The notice said the FAA temporarily declared parts of the area as “national defense airspace.” The North American Aerospace Defense Command said restrictions were implemented at about 11 a.m.

“The FAA briefly closed some airspace over Lake Michigan to support Department of Defense activities. The airspace has been reopened,” the FAA said in a statement just before 1 p.m.

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“With the cooperation of the Federal Aviation Administration, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) implemented a temporary flight restriction airspace over Lake Michigan at approximately 12 p.m. EST on Feb. 12, 2023, to ensure the safety of air traffic in the area during NORAD operations. The temporary flight restriction has since been lifted,” NORAD said in a Tweet.

NORAD did not immediately reply to questions on the nature of those operations.

This comes after a temporary flight restriction was put in place Saturday night over Montana, but it has been lifted, according to NORAD. The temporary restriction was issued after NORAD detected a “radar anomaly.” Aircraft were sent to investigate the incident but didn’t see anything.

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This is a developing story. Check back with ABC7 for updates.