The US Department of Defense took action to disable drones that it said were part of an incursion over El Paso, Texas, which sits on the border with Mexico, and has lifted its order to shut down the area's airspace for 10 days. The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday night suddenly ordered flights in and out of the El Paso International Airport to be halted until 20 February, causing shock and confusion among local residents and elected leaders. The agency said on Wednesday morning restrictions had been lifted and flights could resume.
City Council member Chris Canales, who represents an area on the southwestern side of El Paso, told the BBC that local authorities did not receive any advance notice or reason for the closure. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson confirmed that they were not notified, during a news conference on Wednesday after the airspace had been reopened. We woke up, just like many of you, at midnight last night, one in the morning, to the text and the calls that we received that our airspace was shut down, he said. Our community was scared, he continued. You just cannot do that. Medical evacuation flights were diverted because of the closure, he said. Another flight that was carrying surgical equipment did not show up here in El Paso.
Long-term airspace closures are rare. Since 2018 the FAA has cut airspace closures from an average of more than four hours per launch to just more than two hours, according to its website. The restriction covered a 10-mile radius around El Paso, including parts of southern New Mexico, west of the town San Teresa. After the initial closure, El Paso International Airport said in a statement it was told on short notice to halt all flights and contacted the FAA for more information. The notice was published without any advance notice to local governments or to local air traffic controllers, Canales said.
Social media users began speculating about broader conspiracy theories, while former US Marine Mick Mulroy remarked on the significance of the airport closure, suggesting that if the purpose was for counter-drone activity related to cartel drones, it was a prudent decision given the risks posed to civilian aviation. Drones have increasingly been used by cartels for intelligence gathering and surveillance related to human smuggling operations in the El Paso area, leading to ongoing concerns about airspace safety.
City Council member Chris Canales, who represents an area on the southwestern side of El Paso, told the BBC that local authorities did not receive any advance notice or reason for the closure. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson confirmed that they were not notified, during a news conference on Wednesday after the airspace had been reopened. We woke up, just like many of you, at midnight last night, one in the morning, to the text and the calls that we received that our airspace was shut down, he said. Our community was scared, he continued. You just cannot do that. Medical evacuation flights were diverted because of the closure, he said. Another flight that was carrying surgical equipment did not show up here in El Paso.
Long-term airspace closures are rare. Since 2018 the FAA has cut airspace closures from an average of more than four hours per launch to just more than two hours, according to its website. The restriction covered a 10-mile radius around El Paso, including parts of southern New Mexico, west of the town San Teresa. After the initial closure, El Paso International Airport said in a statement it was told on short notice to halt all flights and contacted the FAA for more information. The notice was published without any advance notice to local governments or to local air traffic controllers, Canales said.
Social media users began speculating about broader conspiracy theories, while former US Marine Mick Mulroy remarked on the significance of the airport closure, suggesting that if the purpose was for counter-drone activity related to cartel drones, it was a prudent decision given the risks posed to civilian aviation. Drones have increasingly been used by cartels for intelligence gathering and surveillance related to human smuggling operations in the El Paso area, leading to ongoing concerns about airspace safety.
