Two programs that allow foreigners to travel through US airports on their way to other countries without a visa were suspended on Saturday because of security concerns, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The Transit Without Visa and International to International transit programs had allowed foreigners, who would normally need a visa to visit the US, to connect to another international flight without the paperwork.
Recent intelligence indicates that terrorist groups have been planning to use the programs to enter the US or US airspace without being first screened, the department said in a statement announcing the suspensions.
"The steps announced today, while aggressive, are an appropriate response to the threat," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a statement. "We know they will have an impact on international travelers, but we believe they are necessary in order to protect lives and property."
Suspension of the programs had been expected, although the abruptness -- with only a few hours notice to airlines and to travelers -- was a surprise. At the end of July, the Department of Homeland Security issued a travel advisory to airlines warning that al-Qaeda might be planning to hijack or bomb passenger planes and urging airline security officials to give special scrutiny to passengers who were transiting the US without visas.
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security said that they were suspending both programs for at least 60 days, which will almost certainly spoil the travel plans of tens of thousands of foreigners who had wanted to use the program to transit through US airports.
The departments said they plan to reinstate both programs after more security measures are put in place.
The Transit Without Visa, which began in 1952, permitted passengers who need a visa for entering the US to stop at up to two US airports and change planes for another foreign destination without a visa.
Foreigners who normally need a visa to visit the US were allowed under the International to International program to pass through a US airport to another foreign country without getting the documentation.
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