FAA dumps Trump from air navigation codes

The Federal Aviation Administration is removing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from the name of airplane navigation codes near Palm Beach International Airport, The New York Times reports. 

Trump has come under fire for comments about immigration, and the FAA said Thursday that it is changing the name of a trio of South Florida navigation routes that were named after the real estate magnate in 2010, according to the report. 

“In general, the FAA chooses names that are noncontroversial,” FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told the paper. 

{mosads}Trump, a billionaire businessman and reality TV star, sparked a media firestorm when he said at his presidential campaign launch that Mexico is sending “rapists” and other criminals to the U.S. 

Democrats have sharply criticized the remarks, and other Republican presidential candidates have moved to distance themselves from Trump. 

The navigation points that are being renamed by the FAA were known as DONLD, TRMMP and UFIRD, after his famous catchphrase from “The Apprentice.”

The navigation points, which are used by pilots as they take off from the Palm Beach airport, were named by a retired air traffic controller who is a fan of Trump, according to the report.

– Scott Wong contributed to this report.