FAA Reopens Airspace Over El Paso
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reopened the airspace surrounding the Texas border town of El Paso, just hours after announcing a 10-day closure.
Local authorities, including El Paso International Airport and the City of El Paso government, initially confirmed that flights would be suspended starting Tuesday at 11:30pm (Wednesday 0630GMT) through to 20 February.
However, the FAA posted on X early Wednesday:
"The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."
Reason for Closure and Response
A White House official stated that "Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace" and that the Pentagon "took action to disable" these drones.
City Council member Chris Canales, representing an area on El Paso's southwestern side, told the BBC that local authorities were not given any prior notice or explanation for the closure.
Long-term airspace closures are unusual. According to the FAA website, since 2018, the agency has reduced airspace closures from an average of over four hours per launch to just over two hours.
Scope and Impact of the Closure
The restriction encompassed a 10-mile radius around El Paso, including parts of southern New Mexico, west of the town of San Teresa.
Canales remarked:
"The notice was published without any advance notice to local governments or to local air traffic controllers."
"There are some folks who are panicking a bit because of how highly unusual this is, and if you look at El Paso on the map you can see what unique geographical position it is."
Geographically, Mexico's Ciudad Juarez lies just south and west of El Paso, while US Army base Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range are located to the north.
Fort Bliss is a military post focused on training, and White Sands Missile Range is the largest overland testing range in the US for missiles, rockets, and advanced weapons.
Flight Groundings and Public Information
In a Facebook post shared by the City of El Paso, El Paso International Airport confirmed that all flights had been grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation.
"Travellers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information," the statement advised.
The BBC has reached out to both the FAA and the City of El Paso for further comment.
