Well, um, after only a few hours, the FAA announced it will open the El Paso airspace.
So 10 days to zero in a snap. Weird.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the closure happened due to the cartels:
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.
Early this morning, we learned that the FAA shut down the El Paso International Airport and closed the airspace for 10 days.
No wonder I couldn’t find anything on the FAA website or social media accounts.
According to the Associated Press, the agency said the decision is for “special security reasons.”
The notice also said the airspace has been “classified as national defense airspace.” The government could use deadly force if it determines an aircraft “poses an imminent security threat.”
Officials of the airport confirmed the closing:
The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso and our neighboring community, Santa Teresa, NM. The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations (including commercial, cargo and general aviation) and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST). Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status.
Everything will open up on February 20 at 11:30 PM MST.
Former FAA safety team member Kyle Bailey described the move as “unprecedented.”
“It’s definitely something like a national security event, a high-level VIP, but the interesting thing is that on the Mexican side of the border there is no flight restriction,” Bailey told Fox News.
Bailey definitely thinks the situation is “something very big, either from a national security standpoint or perhaps testing something — equipment or something going into the air around the vicinity of those bases.”
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