FAA Orders Temporary Flight Suspension at El Paso International Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently issued a sudden 10-day flight suspension at El Paso International Airport due to a drone from a Mexican cartel entering U.S. airspace, according to government officials. Fortunately, the ban was lifted just a few hours later.

This incident marks the first closure of its kind since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Late Tuesday night, the FAA released a notice on its website and social media, outlining temporary restrictions on all flights within about an 11-mile radius of the West Texas airport, citing “special safety reasons.” The notice even mentioned the potential use of “deadly force” against any aircraft that violated the restrictions. However, this measure was quickly rescinded by the FAA on Wednesday morning.

Officials from the Trump administration informed that the Department of the Army (DOW) had acted to neutralize the drone, leading the FAA and DOW to determine that there was no ongoing threat to commercial aviation.

In a follow-up social media post, a government representative noted that the drone incident had raised serious concerns, but both the FAA and DOW had assured there were no further risks to air traffic.

Moreover, the FAA warned that “deadly force” could be initiated if any aircraft posed an immediate threat to safety. Another advisory also put restrictions on flights near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, located about 20 miles west of El Paso along the border.

Interestingly, local officials reported receiving very little warning about the impending restrictions. El Paso City Councilman Chris Canales stated, “It appears there was no advance notice to local authorities, airport leadership, or even local air traffic control or military leadership.”