US Edition
Conflicting Accounts Emerge After Sudden El Paso Airspace Closure
FAA's 10-day airspace closure over El Paso was due to Pentagon-FAA conflict on testing a high-energy laser system against cartel drones, affecting about 100 daily flights.
- On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a 10-day closure of airspace around El Paso International Airport, grounding all flights before reopening it after about seven and a half hours with no threat to aviation.
- Pentagon planned to test a high-energy laser counter-drone system, prompting friction with the FAA which closed the airspace, despite a later meeting scheduled later this month.
- Travelers were stranded at ticket counters and car rental desks as carriers paused operations, with María Aracelia saying, `This is stressful and there isn't time to make so many changes, especially if you need to get back for work.`
- The FAA lifted restrictions after the U.S. Army agreed to more safety tests, shortly after discussions in the office of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and normal flights resumed after seven arrivals and seven departures were canceled.
- Critics warned the episode highlights coordination problems, with lawmaker statements demanding answers about the sudden airspace closure without notice. The FAA, Pentagon, and Homeland Security need accountability.
237 Articles
237 Articles
Texas airspace 'embarrassment' causing 'chaos' at high levels: 'Lot of blame going around'
The abrupt closure of the airspace over El Paso, Texas, has set off "chaos" and "finger-pointing" at the highest levels of President Donald Trump's administration.The Federal Aviation Agency announced Wednesday the airspace would be closed for 10 days, only to reverse the decision about eight hours later, and reports have since emerged that the shutdown was enacted because Customs and Border Patrol had been testing a high-energy laser at nearby …
Jewish Space Lasers Shoot Down 99 Luftballons, Pete Hegseth Still Somehow Has Job
In the kind of multi-factor clusterfuck that used to lead to scandal, firings, and agency reorganizations, Defense Secretary Drunky Pete McDrunkerson let US Customs and Border Protection dipshits play around with a military anti-drone laser weapon based at Fort Bliss, close to the airport in El Paso, Texas. The idea was to test whether the laser weapon could shoot down drones that cartels on the Mexican side of the border have allegedly been usi…
Earlier this week, the Pentagon authorized Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to fire laser beams at suspected Mexican cartels' drones before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could close airspace to civilian traffic, US media reported.
Mexico City.- The closure of air space in El Paso, Texas, last Wednesday, will be recorded as a matter in which U.S. officials and new military technologies created a supposed national security crisis. It all started when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly cancelled operations at El Paso International Airport, reporting that the closure could last 10 days for "special security reasons." Thousands of passengers were stranded. Texa…
NTSB chair says FAA and Pentagon communication issues ‘astounding’ but ‘not surprising’
Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), expressed concern Thursday at the lack of communication between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Defense Department, a day after the closure and subsequent reopening of airspace above southern Texas and New Mexico sparked questions from local officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “I don’t understand it. People can’t…
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