The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted an airspace closure over El Paso that grounded all flights Tuesday night due to a Mexican cartel drone violating U.S. airspace. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy confirmed that the FAA and Department of Defense swiftly addressed the situation. A temporary flight restriction was set to last until February 20 but was lifted by 7 a.m. Wednesday, enduring for only about seven hours.
Local leaders, including El Paso’s mayor and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, criticized the FAA for the lack of communication and coordination that led to the sudden airspace closure. They emphasized the importance of transparency and safety, noting the incident impacted emergency flights. The mayor expressed the need for better community involvement in such decisions to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that her government had not received prior information about the drone activity at the border.
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