EL PASO, TX- Wednesday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Terminal Flight Restriction, or TFR, for El Paso, Texas, and the surrounding airspace, The New York Post reported. The initial announcement was scheduled to last 10 days for “special security reasons,” only to be lifted hours later. Needless to say, the announcement of the TFR surprised a lot of people, from pilots to airline executives and lawmakers.
An initial explanation from the Trump administration official said the shutdown was implemented after “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace,” however didn’t mention where, when, or what kind of drones were involved, The Post reported.
“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official added. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”
WFAA in Dallas said that air traffic control audio from El Paso International Airport showed confusion among pilots flying into the airport overnight. The restriction was implemented at approximately 1:00 a.m. CST on Wednesday.
A surprised Southwest Airlines pilot was taken off guard when informed by the control tower of the closure, according to LiveATC.net
“So the airport’s totally closed?” the pilot asked.
“Apparently,” ATC responded.
“So for 10 days, you guys are not open?” the pilot asked.
“Well, maybe, we’ll be here, but no air traffic,” the controller responded, drawing a laugh from the Southwest pilot.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
Similarly, an American Airlines pilot expressed surprise when informed of the closure.
“What is this we’re hearing…about a TFR?” the AA pilot asked.
“Say it again,” ATC responded.
“Uh, we heard something about a TFR, about no flying. What’s uh, the last guy tried to tell us what was going on, but we were on final,” the pilot responded.
“Oh yes, there’s a TFR going into effect right now in one hour…and it’s until the 21st, a ground stop basically, um, no air traffic,” ATC responded.
“Uh, very interesting. OK,” the American pilot replied.
Additional tower communications are available here.
The drone story seems to be somewhat of a stretch, at least according to a “source familiar with the incident, speaking to The Post, who said it was DHS special forces personnel who fired a laser at what was believed to be cartel drones, but in fact was at least one mylar balloon.
Fox News Digital reported a similar account, citing an unnamed U.S. official who said the Pentagon recently rented a high-energy laser to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Post reached out to DHS, DOW, and the White House for comment, however did not receive an immediate response.
Shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 11, the FAA posted on X: The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”
The ground stop was the first such incident since after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. where airspace was closed and flights restricted from landing and taking off.
The administration has not confirmed the report of a laser being fired at mylar balloons. As to the original story coming out about Mexican cartel drones, the Trump administration official didn’t say how the Pentagon downed the drones, although the Department of War has jamming technology capable of disabling drones in addition to laser weaponry.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson expressed his displeasure over the TFR and surrounding confusion.
“You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, hospitals, and community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable,” he said in a statement. “This decision had real consequences. Medical evacuation flights were forced to divert to Las Cruces. All aviation operations were grounded, including emergency flights and even drones.”
“This is not a minor disruption. That is a public safety issue,” he added.
The initial report of Mexican drug cartels using drones was not a surprise, since they have been using drones in increasing numbers over the years, mostly in a surveillance capacity.
In 2024, approximately 1,000 drone incursions permonth were reported at the US-Mexico border, the head of the military’s Northern Command told Congress.
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