Previously failed test flights resulted in Starship debris raining down over Turks and Caicos and parts of the Bahamas. Although SpaceX has said the debris has been limited to pre-planned Debris Response Areas, on multiple occasions the FAA has briefly slowed and diverted flights, and initiated full ground stops at several Florida airports.

At one point, the FAA had targeted 77 total arrivals and departures at Newark each hour, but at the start of construction on April 15 they requested airlines cut that down to 70 total during the day and 62 during specific hours in the late afternoons and evenings.