El Paso International Airport was briefly shut down this week after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a temporary flight restriction that halted all aircraft operations, raising lingering questions about what triggered the abrupt closure.
The restriction began at 11:30 p.m. MST on Feb. 10 and initially prohibited commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. The FAA order was set to last for 10 days, citing “special security reasons,” but offered no further details at the time.
Just hours later, at 6:54 a.m. Feb. 11, the FAA reopened the airspace, saying there was “no threat to commercial aviation.”
Federal officials blamed the shutdown on what they described as a cartel-related drone incident. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA and the Department of War “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion” and that the threat had been “neutralized.”
An administration official told USA TODAY that drones controlled by Mexican cartels had breached U.S. airspace near the border and that the military took action to disable them.
However, other reports have offered a different explanation. CBS News and The New York Times reported that the shutdown may have been prompted by the military’s failure to coordinate with aviation officials while testing counter-drone technology near the southern border.
Multiple outlets said the technology involved a high-powered laser system designed to shoot down unmanned aircraft systems. Sources told CBS that the military pushed to test the system before FAA safety procedures were fully established.
In one surprising twist, CBS reported that at least one target turned out not to be a drone at all, but a party balloon.
When asked about the reports, the Pentagon told USA TODAY it had “nothing further to provide at this time.”
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said drones along the border are not unusual, noting that local leaders were not given advance notice of the airport closure.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also weighed in, saying during a Feb. 11 news conference that there was no information supporting claims of drones on the border.
“The Mexican airspace did not close,” Sheinbaum said. “We will learn what the reasons are for why the airspace closed.”
The uncertainty comes at a sensitive time in U.S.-Mexico relations. President Donald Trump has designated Mexican cartels as a military and terrorist threat and has floated the possibility of land-based strikes inside Mexico. Sheinbaum has firmly opposed any unilateral U.S. military action, calling it a violation of national sovereignty.
The brief closure disrupted travel overnight. More than a dozen flights were canceled, and nine were delayed, according to FlightAware. Travelers were stunned to learn that all flights had been halted.
Source: El Paso Times