FAA reopens El Paso airspace after closure due to Mexican Cartel drones
The Federal Aviation Administration reopened airspace over El Paso on Wednesday, just hours after it halted all flights citing “special security reasons.” Now, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says officials ordered the closure after Mexican cartel drones breached American airspace.
Duffy added that “the threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.
The FAA previously announced that the airport and the surrounding airspace would be closed for 10 days, but changed course less than 12 hours later.
“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA said in a post on X. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”
The initial restriction went into effect at 11:30 p.m. MST on Tuesday but lasted less than 12 hours. It’s unclear why the initial announcement said the closure would last 10 days.
Editor’s note: The Unbiased Updates video above includes an original news report on the FAA issuing a ground stop and declaring a national defense zone. The FAA has since reopened the El Paso airspace as of 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
City, airport confirm the closure
El Paso International confirmed on social media that all flights were grounded, saying “Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information.”
The city also shared a news release saying the closure came “on short notice.” It didn’t provide further details but said airport staff reached out to the FAA for more details.
“In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security-related,” the city wrote, according to El Paso Matters. “Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status.”
This story is featured in today’s Unbiased Updates. Watch the full episode here.
‘National defense airspace’
FAA documents previously designated the area as national defense airspace, cautioning that non-compliant aircraft could be intercepted, detained or questioned. The notice also stated that the U.S. government would use deadly force if a plane were deemed an imminent security threat.
The restricted zone encompassed most of El Paso County and extended into southern New Mexico, but did not include Mexican airspace.
El Paso International Airport averages 50 flights per day and served more than three million passengers in 2021. The city is right along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
