McGhee Tyson Airport was already expecting a weekend for the record books with No. 13 Tennessee hosting No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26. History suggests President Donald Trump's attendance will add another layer of travel headaches.
Fewer than 20 flights (but probably less than that) will be affected, McGhee Tyson spokesperson Becky Huckaby told Knox News. Fans can take a guess at the president's arrival and departure times based on the noon kickoff.
Airport security, of course, "will have quite a presence" this weekend, according to McGhee Tyson spokesperson Becky Huckaby. McGhee Tyson Airport and its public terminal shares runways with the 134th Air Refueling Wing, a National Guard base.
While airport officials "do not comment on potential VIP dignitary
visits," Huckaby told Knox News, previous presidential visits to McGhee Tyson offer insight into how security measures could shift.
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Will air traffic freeze affect commercial flights at McGhee Tyson?
Before the president's decision, airport officials had already announced they were expecting 10,000 passengers on Sept. 27 as fans head home from the game.
Generally, Huckaby said, air traffic is frozen from between 15 and 30 minutes before a high-profile official lands or takes off at the airport. The freeze doesn't end until the VIP is off airport property.
The freeze usually does not affect most commercial passengers flying with an airline, Huckaby said.
It does, however, affect what aviation insiders call general aviation traffic − people flying their own plane or celebrities in private jets.
With Knoxville hosting the biggest college football game of the weekend, that traffic could be substantial.
Jim Evans, the airport's vice president of marketing and air service development, said “significant” general aviation traffic is common in the fall. Airport leaders expect McGhee Tyson to host between 150 and 200 corporate jets ahead of the game, he said.
The airport has been staffing up on the security side to prepare for the weekend, Huckaby said. Presidents also travel with their own security team.
Mariah Franklin reports on technology and energy for Knox News. Email: mariah.franklin@knoxnews.com. Signal: mariahfranklin.01
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Trump's Texas-Tennessee visit means for Knoxville airport travelers
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