The FAA abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso airport overnight on Tuesday, giving little explanation. The airport was expected to be closed for 10 days, but it was re-opened Wednesday morning.
The administration offered the explanation that Mexican cartels had been flying drones into U.S. airspace. However it now appears that it was the Defense Department “operating unmanned aircraft, or drones, against drug cartel operations from a base near El Paso’s airport without sharing information with the FAA.”
Military activity to monitor cartels was endangering commercial aircraft. The FAA and military were in a grudge match over it, and the FAA escalated.
“It has to do with the FAA’s inability to predict where [unmanned aircraft systems] might be flying,” the official told the Tribune. “They have been operating outside the normal flight paths.”
Shutting down the airspace did two things.
- It protected flights from a dangerous activity
- It quickly got attention in the administration to tamp down on reckless military activity
The military has also sought to block reforms around D.C.’s National airport that would make flying safe in the aftermath of the American Airlines tragedy there a year ago. Limiting helicopter flights in the approach path of commercial planes is inconvenient. They’ve sought to preserve helicopter training flights around passenger flights.
Respect for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on this one.
