El Paso airspace was closed for 10 days after the Department of Defense deployed high-energy laser technology to counter potential drone incursions, according to multiple sources briefed on the situation.
The closure, which began at 11:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, affected commercial flights and left city officials and residents blindsided. Sources said the move was uncoordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration, which had not completed a safety assessment before the military action.
Officials warned that insufficient coordination could pose risks to aircraft, prompting the FAA to impose one of the rarest airspace shutdowns in the agency's history.
The military has been developing anti-drone systems to intercept drones used by Mexican cartels near the US-Mexico border. These drones are reportedly employed to track Border Patrol agents and smuggle contraband into the United States.
As reported byThe New York Times, sources familiar with the shutdown said the airspace closure was prompted by the Defense Department's testing of new anti-drone technology before the FAA had completed a safety review, and that the system had earlier been used against what turned out to be a party balloon.
FAA officials reportedly objected to the deployment, stating that it had not been given adequate information to complete a safety review.
According to sources, the agency warned the Pentagon that without proper coordination, it would have no choice but to shut down the airspace. A meeting between aviation and military officials to discuss the technology's implications was scheduled for 20 February but was not moved forward, leading to the FAA's unprecedented 10-day closure.
The Trump administration said that a sudden drone incursion from Mexican cartels necessitated the airspace closure. Pentagon officials maintained that the military response was justified and necessary for national security. Sources familiar with the situation, however, said that the FAA had not agreed that any immediate threat warranted the extended closure.
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaumsaid there was no verified informationregarding drone incursions along the border at the time of the airspace shutdown. Federal agencies largely declined to comment further, with the FAA and Department of Transportation providing no additional details on the decision-making process.
Drone activity along the US-Mexico border has been a growing concern. In mid-2024, officials reported that around 27,000 drones had flown within 500 metres of the border over six months.
Source: International Business Times UK
