Airspace around El Paso reopened following abrupt closure
Regional News
Audio By Carbonatix
7:18 AM on Wednesday, February 11
Sarah Roderick-Fitch
(The Center Square) – All flights in and out of El Paso, Texas, have resumed after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights, issuing a no-fly zone in the region late Tuesday evening.
The FAA initially imposed a 10-day flight restriction, citing security reasons, effective until 11:30 p.m. Feb. 20. The restrictions indicated that flights in the airspace must maintain an altitude of at least 18,000 feet.
Multiple early reports indicated Mexican cartel drones had entered U.S. airspace, with the Department of War acting to neutralize potential threats. But it was later reported that the military was testing drones and shot down a party balloon.
In addition to El Paso, airspace south of Las Cruces, N.M., and Santa Teresa, which borders Mexico, were also closed.
Despite El Paso and Santa Teresa bordering Mexico, the airspace across the border remained open throughout the ordeal.
