It is still not entirely clear what caused the FAA to temporarily close down the airspace over El Paso, Texas, as federal officials came forward with competing explanations.
The FAA rescinded its temporary flight restriction over the city early Wednesday but did not offer a direct explanation. About an hour later, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA and the Pentagon were responding to a “cartel drone incursion” in the area.
“The threat has been neutralized,” Duffy added, and flight operations were set to resume.
But sources with knowledge of the matter told news outlets Wednesday that the shutdown was prompted by the Defense Department’s testing of counter-drone technology. The New York Times reported that there were concerns the technology could pose a risk to civilian aircraft.
The FAA effectively cut off commercial, cargo, and general aviation flights to and from El Paso International Airport late Tuesday night for “special security reasons.” The closure was supposed to last for 10 days, information confirmed by airport leaders, who were eying a Feb. 20 reopening.
Elected officials who represent El Paso criticized the FAA for taking such a significant step with no coordination and no explanation.
“I want to be very, very clear that this should’ve never happened,” Mayor Renard Johnson said, according to the Times. “You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership… That failure to communicate is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum disputed the DOT’s narrative and denied that there were any drones operating in the border area near El Paso.
The situation at El Paso International Airport appeared to be returning to normal by midday Wednesday. According to tracking website FlightAware, about 10% of the airport’s flights were canceled as of 1 p.m.
The El Paso Times reported Wednesday that flight restrictions for Santa Teresa, New Mexico, also imposed late Tuesday, remain in effect.
