El Paso Airport resumes operations after unexpected FAA closure
El Paso Airport has resumed operations after an FAA shutdown related to reported cartel drone concerns.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military shot down a U.S. government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to ban flights in the area around Fort Hancock, Texas, on Feb. 26, a congressional aide told Reuters.
The Pentagon had no immediate comment, but the FAA cited “special security reasons” in its notice regarding airspace restrictions near the Mexican border.
Reps. Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson and Andre Carson, the top Democrats on the committees that oversee aviation and homeland security issues, criticized the lack of coordination, saying in a joint statement that the Pentagon reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone.
Lawmakers said they had warned months ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan proposal to train counter-drone pilots and address coordination issues was “short-sighted thinking.”
“Now we are witnessing the consequences of incompetence,” the statement said.
Congressional aides told Reuters that the Pentagon appears to have used a high-energy laser system to shoot down a CBP drone near the Mexican border. The area is frequently infiltrated by Mexican drones used by drug cartels. CBP and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The FAA announced it would close the airspace at Fort Hancock from February 26 to June 23, the El Paso Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
The FAA said it was expanding advance flight restrictions in the area to “enhance its reach to ensure safety,” but said commercial aircraft would not be affected because of its location.
Earlier this month, the FAA suspended traffic at an airport near El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, but about eight hours later it reversed course and announced it was lifting the order. Fort Hancock is about 60 miles east of El Paso.
Reuters and other media reported that the closure was due to concerns about the use of laser-based anti-drone systems, and that the FAA had agreed to lift restrictions around El Paso if the Pentagon agreed to hold off further testing pending FAA safety review.
The Pentagon and CBP told Congressional aides earlier this week that they believe they can deploy lasers without prior FAA approval.
Aides said there was a lack of coordination between the FAA and the Pentagon. The government notified Congressional offices about the El Paso closure and the Fort Hancock incident late on February 26.
The FAA’s notice prohibits all flights in the Fort Hancock area, but says air ambulance and search and rescue flights can be cleared by the Southern Border Joint Task Force. Aviation restrictions will remain in place until June 24th.
The agency briefed Congressional staff about the El Paso incident earlier this week and plans to brief lawmakers next week.
CBP reportedly deployed laser technology this month to shoot down four suspected cartel drones, despite warnings from the FAA that it was unsafe to use the technology in the same vicinity as commercial aircraft, an aide told Reuters, adding that the agency had told authorities the laser had never been deployed in the country before.
(Reporting by David Shepherdson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Jamie Freed)
