US EditionConflicting Accounts Emerge After Sudden El Paso Airspace Closure
FAA's 10-day airspace closure over El Paso was due to Pentagon-FAA conflict on testing a high-energy laser system against cartel drones, affecting about 100 daily flights.
- On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a 10-day closure of airspace around El Paso International Airport, grounding all flights before reopening it after about seven and a half hours with no threat to aviation.
- Pentagon planned to test a high-energy laser counter-drone system, prompting friction with the FAA which closed the airspace, despite a later meeting scheduled later this month.
- Travelers were stranded at ticket counters and car rental desks as carriers paused operations, with María Aracelia saying, `This is stressful and there isn't time to make so many changes, especially if you need to get back for work.`
- The FAA lifted restrictions after the U.S. Army agreed to more safety tests, shortly after discussions in the office of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and normal flights resumed after seven arrivals and seven departures were canceled.
- Critics warned the episode highlights coordination problems, with lawmaker statements demanding answers about the sudden airspace closure without notice. The FAA, Pentagon, and Homeland Security need accountability.
221 Articles
221 Articles
What we know, and what we don’t, about the El Paso airspace closure
Questions remain, and tensions are stirring around conflicting explanations for the abrupt closure of the airspace over El Paso, Texas. Late Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was closing the airspace in and around El Paso International Airport for 10 days for “special security reasons.” However, the agency lifted the restriction less than eight hours later. The abrupt closure and quick reopen left many travelers di…
Party Balloons and Lasers: Everything We Know About the El Paso Airspace Shutdown
The skies over El Paso went silent for a few hours on Tuesday, February 11, after some suspicious objects were spotted flying overhead. Terrorism? The work of a dastardly drug cartel? Has China finally attacked the U.S., and has it, for some reason, decided to start with El Paso? No. If only the reason were so cool. It was because of party balloons. Seriously. Everything We Know About the El Paso Airspace Shutdown Late Tuesday, the Federal Aviat…
U.S. senators question government claims about confusing El Paso airport closure
The brief shutdown of El Paso airport by the Federal Aviation Administration because of safety concerns posed by the use of a military laser-based anti-drone system was unacceptable, said the top Democrat on the Senate's commerce committee said on Thursday.
El Paso airspace shutdown exposes critical policy gaps, former NORTHCOM chief warns
Federal officials shut down airspace over El Paso, TX this week after an uncoordinated counter-drone action exposed gaps in how the U.S. government manages emerging security technologies over civilian skies -- exactly the kind of breakdown retired Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck has warned about since leaving office. According to The New York Times, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights after Customs and Border Protection personnel d…
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