FAA stopped flights from El Paso airport after Mexican cartel drones ‘breached’ US airspace, officials say

The federal government has lifted a travel restriction over El Paso International Airport in Texas, citing Mexican cartel drones as the reason for the sudden closure.

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement on Wednesday morning. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

A Trump administration official told The Independent that Mexican cartel drones “breached” American airspace. The drones were disabled by the Department of Defense, and the FAA has since determined that commercial travel is not threatened, the official added.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the shutdown was related to counter-drone technology testing at a nearby U.S. Army base, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The reversal comes just hours after the FAA, in an online notice, stated that all flight operations at the southwestern airport — located near the U.S.-Mexico border — would be prohibited from February 11-21 due to “special security reasons.”

open image in gallery

The ban spanned a radius of 10 nautical miles and it applied from the ground up to about 18,000 feet. “No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered,” the FAA said, though it noted that Mexican airspace is excluded.

In a travel advisory posted on Wednesday, the airport said that the ban impacts all flights, including “commercial, cargo and general aviation.” It noted that travelers should get into contact with airlines for the “most up-to-date flight status information.”

Spokespeople for the airport and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.

Before the ban was lifted, a representative for the El Paso airport told a local news outlet KFox that the FAA ordered the restriction “on short notice,” adding that it “appears to be security related.”

Earlier in the morning, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso, described the ban as unusual, and that she was still scrambling to get the facts.

“The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,” she wrote in a post on X on Wednesday morning.

“From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas,” she said, adding that she has urged the federal government to lift the ban immediately.

In a statement, City Representative Chris Canales said that there is no indication the area faces any “kind of imminent safety threat.” But he described the lack of advance notice as “especially troubling.”

open image in gallery

“This is going to have a deep economic impact” on the region, “including in southern New Mexico,” New Mexico Rep. Gabe Vasquez said in a video posted on X on Wednesday morning.

CNN reported on Wednesday that the mysterious ban was triggered by military operations at Fort Bliss, an Army outpost headquartered in El Paso. “The FAA acted after the Defense Department could not assure civilian flight safety,” the outlet said, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter.

The same flight prohibition had also been issued over Santa Teresa, New Mexico, located a few miles from El Paso, according to the FAA. It’s not clear if this restriction was lifted.

The El Paso airport — which is medium-sized and primarily commercial — services over three million people per year. And, over 1,000 flights were scheduled during the next 10 days, according to Cirium, an aviation firm, indicating thousands of travelers could have been impacted.

The lack of a clear explanation for the sudden closure — and quick reversal — has fueled fear and speculation online.

“Shouldn't the citizens of El Paso know if they're in any danger?” one user wrote on X. “I would hate to think our government is causing unnecessary panic.”

“Folks. Pay attention. This is unprecedented,” Juliette Kayyem, a CNN national security analyst, wrote on social media. “El Paso airport is the ‘gateway to Mexico.’ He’s going after the cartels, I suspect.”

According to the FAA, there are no federal requirements pertaining to cancelled or delayed flights. Instead, each airline has its own policies.

“If an airline has made a commitment to provide a particular service or compensation, then the Department can hold the airline accountable,” the Department of Transportation’s website states.

It notes that stranded travelers can ask airline staff if they can compensate them for the cost of hotels or meals.

Following the El Paso airport closure, United Airlines issued a statement saying that travelers can exchange their tickets for new flights without paying a fee or fare difference. Southwest Airlines said it had “notified affected customers and will share additional information as it becomes available.”