The airspace surrounding El Paso International Airport in Texas was closed for several hours before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to reopen it, reversing what had initially been described as a planned 10-day suspension of all flight operations. According to an official from President Donald Trump’s administration, quoted by the Associated Press, the shutdown followed reports that multiple drones believed to be connected to Mexican cartels had entered US airspace.
In a social media update, the FAA announced that the airspace had been reopened, assuring the public that there was no risk to commercial aviation and that flights would proceed as normal. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also stated online that the FAA and the Department of Defense responded quickly to what he termed a “cartel drone incursion,” adding that the situation had been resolved and posed no ongoing threat to air travel.
Authorities did not provide specific details about the number of drones involved or the measures taken to counter them.
