The Trump administration revealed that the sudden closure of the airspace around El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday night was due to a military operation involving a cartel drone.
Hours after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a shocking 10-day ban on all commercial flights in the area surrounding the El Paso airport, the rule was lifted. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy spoke to X on the morning of Wednesday 11 February to explain what he said happened.
“The FAA and the U.S. Department of Labor acted quickly to address the cartel drone intrusions,” Duffy wrote. “The threat has been eliminated and there is no danger to commercial travel in the area. Restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
The announcement prompted many to question why the original flight ban was scheduled to last for 10 days, but no further explanation was provided.
At 8:32 pm local time on Tuesday, the FAA announced in a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that “no pilot shall operate an aircraft within the area covered by this NOTAM” citing “special safety reasons.”
The agency also said the federal government “may use lethal force” if an aircraft violating airspace is determined to pose an “imminent security threat.” new york times.
It did not elaborate on the security concerns. NBC News reported that the airspace was classified as defense airspace.
The initial restrictions were due to be in place for 10 days from 11:30pm on Friday 10 February to 20 February, causing significant disruption to travel at the transport hub.
obtained in a statement new york timesThe El Paso airport told reporters the FAA issued the restriction “on short notice” and they were waiting for more guidance.
“I’ve never heard of U.S. airspace being closed for 10 days without a major emergency,” El Paso, Texas, Rep. Vince Perez told the media of the news.
However, a few hours later, the ban was lifted.
At 6:54 a.m. local time, the FAA posted on X: “The temporary closure over El Paso has been lifted. Commercial aviation is not threatened. All flights will return to normal.”
PEOPLE has contacted the FAA and the El Paso Airport for further comment.
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