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.
What a shit show
Sounds about right. Deflect, blame others, gaslight. This administration could tell me the sky is blue and I’d insist on verifying it myself.
From the Tribune article you link to:
“The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X, referring to the Department of War. “The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
I’m glad the escalation got resolved, but It’s hard to share your respect for Duffy when he parrots this misinformation.
Any White House is supposed to call balls and strikes between the various departments. If this is true, the fact that the FAA did something like closing airspace for 10 days to get another part of the government to back down is absurd. This never should have played out in public.
Reluctantly, I have to agree..
@Mike, @Parker, @swag – So as retired military I can tell you that I am impressed the administration took swift action to correct an issue. Since it was between 2 separate executive branch departments it is possible that proper procedure was not followed or confirmed between departments. I know I am a drone or bot. Oh and “orange man bad”, felonies etc. You guys are brainwashed.
Michael,
Don’t bother…1990 and his ilk have spread across the travel blogs like a virus and it’s just not worth it countering their emotional red meat arguments anymore.
Poor @Michael Minnelli and @Steve, they still believe and support the orange idiots and his minions. Is there any line that can be crossed that the light switch will turn on?
Liberals are grasping at any straw to blame the current administration and distract from their own gross mismanagement of our cities and states.
Take my home, Los Angeles: We have around 75,000 homeless people—and the numbers keep growing—along with rampant crime and massive fraud. Restaurants are closing left and right. A year after the Westside (Pacific Palisades area) burned down in that devastating fire, there’s still very little rebuilding or new construction happening. Local leadership refuses to seriously address any of these crises, yet they’ll pile on about an issue like this.
@Michael Mainello if proper procedure was not followed between two departments whose mistake could cause hundreds of lives that is a huge problem…regardless of which administration is overseeing said departments. This could have been an AA5342 all over again.
This could happen in any administration. The issue is the credibility of THIS administration. Somehow we went from Mexican drug cartels to our own military. One is a boogie man and the other is, as you put it, possible failed processes. We both know which narrative this administration would prefer to choose. No brainwashing, just observation.
“Restaurants are closing left and right”
Definitely a reason to send the National Guard.
so, at worst, we had cross border drone activity with the DOD not informing the FAA of what it was doing.
While this doesn’t look good for the DOD, I still would rather they err on the side of protecting the US and the FAA protecting aviation and the two can sort it all out after their both essential first steps.
That’s the very same border the lunatics of the left want to be wide open. Check the situation in Tijuana. That’s what they wish for America.
@Steve & @Dave – Thanks, these guys (probably 1 or 2 bots) will never find anything positive to say about our current president because they have been thoroughly indoctrinated.
Today the jobs report came out – 130,000+ – and all in the private sector. Even the size of government is shrinking. I am sure they were all low paying and can’t live on the wages. There responses are standard boiler plate negative.
It takes time to fix all of the programs (really payoffs) from the last joker.
Deport illegal aliens — Save environment.
(Ominous music) So, the speculation about cartels with Venezuelan-supplied Chinese MANPADS was unfounded? Or is the new explanation a cover-up to avoid panic?
@ Tim Dunn
Frankly, using “patriotism” as an argument is pure B.S. I believe that this Administration is getting way out of hand. Too many lies and too much misinformation. Truth leads to respect. Sorting it out later can wind up being an NTSB investigation of another AA and helicopter. The Administration has not earned the respect that would lead to what you suggest.
Jobs report has already been revised down and unfavorable job reporters have been fired. Sorry if I am indoctrinated or a bot but if you believe these numbers I have a Canadian-owned bridge in to sell you.
@Winston – The large downward jobs report was released by the last party during their convention. It was almost 1 million jobs use to make the autopen president look good prior to the convention he never got to. The person fired, but our current president, was because of these lies to the American people. But, you knew that, but want to find a way to make the autopen president look good. You failed. Today’s report has not been revised downward, though revisions are common under both administrations.
The DOD lost control over AI drones and were worried that a civilian aircraft would be mistaken for a Venezuelan “drug” boat and be targeted for a missle strike.
@Total: The National Guard was sent in because rioters were destroying federal property, and LAPD was not allowed to do their job to protect it. In fact, LAPD allowed rioters to completely destroy and loot Little Tokyo, one of the oldest immigrant communities in LA. Let that sink in.
How sad, but not unexpected, to see Gary pretend this was a ‘success.’
@Parker, @AlanZ — I’m surprised these fascists didn’t go full-DARVO and start blaming their opposition for their own ineptitude… oh, wait, they are… see, @Michael Mainello, @Dave, @Steve…
None of this helps with cost of living, jobs, healthcare… 264 days until the midterms.
@Parker
That’s because you’re a TDS clown.
My enemies aren’t in Moscow, Beijing or Tehran. They are on my own cities and streets. People like you.
@1990, happy for you to step up and defend my points. Give it a shot. And if you think you have me figured out politically, I can guarantee you that you are wrong.
@1990
God I really wish they would. I wish there was a phone number I could inform the government on my neighbors to. I have so many names I wish to submit.
@Total
National guard should be sent in to deal with the sedition from the left.
DhS however has been a Pretti Goode shot so far so I think they can handle the scum in the streets
@1990 – Your party actively blocks everything when they are in the minority and does nothing when in charge? Obamacare was a spectacular failure. I wish your party was as good at fixing things as they are at indoctrination.
The current administration has done a lot with the drug companies and with transparent pricing. Illegals are not flooding the ERs as much so that should help access, but I doubt it will help prices.
Taxes are down (I know @1990 you don’t feel it). Unemployment is down and private sector jobs are up. Inflation is down, mortgage rates are lower. For being in office only 13 months, there have been gigantic strides forward.
The key is an honest election, but your party is too afraid to require IDs to vote even though approximately 80% of the electorate support it. But that is not enough to make the dead vote switch parties.