El Paso Drone Threat / Envato Market

KLZ Radio News — In a bizarre late-night move that had travelers and pilots scratching their heads, the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly issued a temporary flight restriction (TFR) around El Paso International Airport that would have shut down all flights for 10 days due to “special security reasons.” The restriction covered a 10-mile radius around the airport, grounding every commercial, cargo, and general aviation flight — and even prompted warnings that deadly force could be used against violators.

Travellers were irked Wednesday morning as hundreds of flights were cancelled; the airport departs around 100 flights per day from the El Paso airport, and the closest comparable field is Albuquerque airport, 3.5-4 hours away.

But early this morning, the FAA lifted the closure, announcing on its social channels that there is no longer a threat to commercial aviation and that flights are resuming as normal.

According to U.S. officials, the root of the drama appears to be **drones operated by Mexican drug cartels that had crossed into U.S. airspace near El Paso. Those drones reportedly triggered a military response, and the Department of War stepped in to disable them before they could pose any danger to civilian flights. Once the threat was neutralized, regulators called off the planned shutdown and reopened the skies.

Details remain thin as to exactly how many drones were involved or what the cartels’ precise plans were, but federal sources say the incursion was serious enough to prompt an unprecedented airspace order — even if it was ultimately reversed hours later.

Local elected officials in Texas had criticized the sudden closure for coming without notice and for the strain it placed on travelers and local operations. But with the restriction now lifted and cartel drone activity reportedly dealt with, El Paso’s flights are once again cleared for takeoff.