After more than seven hours, air traffic resumed in and out of the city of El Paso, Texas on February 10. Earlier, the airport was shut down as a result of special security reasons.
The hours-long closure, led to travellers being stranded. Additionally, medical evacuation flights were thrown off schedule after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly shut down the nation’s 71st busiest airport.
It was initially announced that the closure would last 10 days, but later the airport was reopened in a matter of hours. The unexpected shutdown of El Paso airspace took the White House by surprise, two sources told news agency Reuters, sparking a rapid response from law enforcement agencies trying to piece together what happened.
“All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 pm (MST) to February 20 at 11:30 pm (MST). Travellers should contact their airlines to get the most up-to-date flight status information,” the Texas’ El Paso Airport said in an advisory.
Here is all that you need to know about the fiasco at the El Paso airport.
El Paso airport shuts down
The FAA suddenly closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on February 10. According to Reuters, the airspace was closed after the FAA raised safety concerns about an army laser-based counter-drone system. Although the agencies were scheduled to address the issue on February 20, sources said the army proceeded without clearance, leading the FAA to suspend flights.
Sources speaking to Reuters noted that the laser was a direct-energy weapon called Locust and it is manufactured by AeroVironment, a Virginia-based drone and counter-drone defence company.
The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.
The chain of events began with the FAA announcing a 10-day shutdown of all flight traffic over the US-Mexico border city, leaving some travellers stranded, but the closure ultimately lasted only a few hours. One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety.
Sources said the FAA eased the restrictions not long after the situation was reviewed in Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ office.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford met with senators on Wednesday and told them there could have been better coordination about the move, but did not answer detailed questions about why the agency initially planned a 10-day halt to flights, lawmakers said.
Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Senator Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, both called for a classified briefing to get more answers. “The details of what exactly occurred over El Paso are unclear,” Cruz said.
Thousands left stranded
While the restrictions in the city of nearly 700,000 people were quickly reversed, it remains rare for an entire airport to shut. During the halt, stranded travellers queued at airline desks and car rental counters awaiting further updates.
Normal flights resumed after seven arrivals, while seven departures were cancelled. Some medical evacuation flights also had to be rerouted.
Jorge Rueda, 20, and Yamilexi Meza, 21, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, had their morning flight to Portland, Oregon, cancelled, so they were losing part of their Valentine’s Day weekend trip. Rueda said he was glad that “10 days turned into two hours.” They were booked on an evening flight out of El Paso.
Airlines were also caught off guard by the early Wednesday announcement. Southwest Airlines said the effects should be minimal for its 23 daily departures scheduled. “FAA has not exactly acquitted itself credibly, objectively, or professionally,” said Bob Mann, an airline industry consultant. “The question should be, do we get an explanation?”
Cross-border drone activity on the rise
According to Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, cartel drone sightings are common. But what is ’extremely rare’ is the closure of an entire airport over a security issue.
“For any of us who live and work along the border, daily drone incursions by criminal organisations are everyday life for us. It’s a Wednesday for us,” Gonzales said.
Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security, said that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 metres (1,600 feet) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, mostly at night.
With inputs from agencies
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