US EditionConflicting Accounts Emerge After Sudden El Paso Airspace Closure
- 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.
126 Articles
126 Articles
Pentagon let CBP use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace
The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced that it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travellers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours
Report: DoD lets CBP shoot balloon with laser in airspace meltdown
An apparent interagency dispute over testing counter-drone lasers, is wreaking havoc across parties — and airspaces — alike. On Tuesday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed the airspace surrounding El Paso International Airport, then re-opened it Wednesday morning. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and DoD and White House officials blamed the closure, originally set to be 10 days long, on Mexican cartel-owned drones viola…
US military shot down party balloon near El Paso after suspecting drone
A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military earlier this week shot down what was later determined to be a party balloon near El Paso, Texas, after initially assessing it as a possible foreign drone. The misidentification eventually led to a total shutdown of airspace around the El Paso airport. Mexican President...
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