U.S. to Reopen Airspace From 11a.m. EDT

Reuters ^ | 9/13/2001

[Irma]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it had ordered U.S. national airspace reopened to commercial and private aviation effective at 11 a.m. EDT.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said in a statement that U.S. airports will be reopened and flights resumed on a case-by-case basis, only after they implement more stringent levels of security imposed following Tuesday's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"I must caution everyone that a system as diverse and complex as ours cannot be brought back up instantly," Mineta said in the statement distributed by the White House.

"We will reopen airports and resume flights on a case-by-case basis, only after they implement our more stringent levels of security," he added. "This phased approach will assure the highest levels of safety, which remains our primary goal."

Mineta said anyone planning to fly should check with their airline on the level of service and flight schedules and should allow plenty of time to deal with new security procedures.

On Wednesday the U.S. government had cleared airlines for limited service and imposed tougher security requirements for airports and airlines, including bans on knives and curbside check-ins.

The nation's airspace was shut down on Tuesday after knife-wielding hijackers seized four commercial airliners, two of which slammed into and destroyed New York's World Trade Center towers. A third hit the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in western Pennsylvania.

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