FAA Lifts El Paso Flight Halt After Officials Cite “Cartel” Drone Incursion
A 10-day shutdown order issued Tuesday night was rescinded within hours Wednesday after the Defense Department moved to disable drones, officials said.
Overview
The FAA lifted a temporary closure of airspace over El Paso International Airport on Wednesday morning, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and flights would resume.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the airspace restrictions were imposed to address a “cartel drone incursion,” and a Trump administration official said “Mexican cartel drones” breached U.S. airspace.
A Trump administration official said the Defense Department took action to disable the drones, but did not say how many were involved or describe the methods used.
The FAA had halted commercial, cargo and general aviation flights Tuesday night and restricted airspace in a 10-nautical-mile radius, warning violators could be shot down, before ending the restrictions less than 10 hours later.
Rep. Veronica Escobar called the planned 10-day shutdown unprecedented and said there was no advance notice to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, as travelers and businesses tied to cross-border commerce faced disruption.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources generally remain neutral: they present multiple attributed voices (FAA, Transportation Secretary, Pentagon, Mexican officials, local leaders, airlines), flag uncertainty and conflicting accounts, and emphasize operational and economic impacts. Charged phrases like “cartel drone incursion” are attributed to officials, not asserted as verified fact by the sources.
FAQ
The FAA issued a 10-day NOTAM starting February 10 due to 'special security reasons' after suspected Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace.
The NOTAM was lifted after 9 hours, allowing flights to resume normally.
The Department of Defense neutralized the suspected Mexican cartel drones that had crossed into U.S. airspace.
Some reports suggest the closure may have been due to counter-drone (C-UAS) technology testing rather than actual cartel drone incursions.
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar stated they received no advance notice, and the city noted impacts on commercial airlines serving 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025.
