FAA lifts El Paso airspace closure after Mexican cartel drone breach

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted the closure on the airspace in El Paso, and all flights will resume as normal after the FAA had grounded all flights to and from El Paso on Tuesday night.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the airspace closure was due to a drone breach.

Duffy said the FAA and the Department of War acted swiftly to address the cartel drone incursion.

According to CNN, Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace, an administration official told CNN, which triggered a temporary airspace closure over El Paso.

The airspace closure was prompted by a US military operation related to drug cartels, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official told CNN. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

The FAA had issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation.

The original restriction was effective from Feb. 10 at 11:30 p.m. to Feb. 20 at 11:30 p.m., but it has since been lifted.

Here is a statement on behalf of the El Paso International Airport:

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.

Congresswoman Escobar provided the following statement:

“The highly consequential decision by the FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and resulted in significant concern in the community. From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas. There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations. We have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area. I will continue to make information public as I learn it.”

A source familiar with the El Paso, Texas flight restrictions, who was briefed by the Federal Aviation Administration, tells CNN the sweeping flight ban was driven by military operations from nearby Biggs Army Airfield, located on Fort Bliss. Drones as well as helicopters and other aircraft operate from the facility, according to CNN.

The source said the FAA acted after the Department of War could not assure the safety of civilian aircraft in the area, according to CNN.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson gave the following statement:

I want to provide an update to the people of El Paso regarding the FAA’s decision to lift the temporary restricted airspace over our city. But I want to be very clear: this never should have happened.

You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, hospitals, and community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable. This decision had real consequences. Medical evacuation flights were forced to divert to Las Cruces. All aviation operations were grounded, including emergency flights and even drones. That is not a minor disruption. That is a public safety issue.

El Paso is not just a dot on a map. We are a major border city with hospitals, military operations, emergency services, and critical infrastructure that depend on coordinated and reliable airspace operations. Decisions made without notice or coordination put lives at risk and create unnecessary danger and confusion.

From the moment we learned about this, my office worked with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, Major General Taylor at Fort Bliss, and our local, state, and federal partners to get answers and push for this to be corrected. I appreciate those efforts, but the process itself failed our community.

We expect better communication, better coordination, and more respect for the people of El Paso. We will be following up with the FAA to make sure this does not happen again.

Public safety comes first. El Paso deserves transparency, accountability, and a real seat at the table when decisions like this are made.

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