The unexpected but brief airspace closure in the Texas border city of El Paso stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests, multiple sources close to the matter told CBS News.
The Pentagon had undertaken extensive planning on the use of military technology near Fort Bliss, a military base that abuts the El Paso International Airport, to practice taking down drones.
Two sources identified the technology as a high-energy laser.
Meetings were scheduled over safety impacts, but Pentagon officials wanted to test the technology sooner, stating that U.S. Code 130i requirements governing the protection of certain facilities from unmanned aircraft had been met.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Tuesday night decided to close the airspace — without alerting White House, Pentagon or Homeland Security officials, sources said.
Bedford told officials the airspace restrictions would be in place to ensure safety until issues with the War Department could be resolved.
The FAA declined to comment.
The critical bulletin issued to pilots and airlines not to fly below 18,000 feet was initially set for 10 days, a duration for a full grounding not used since the 9/11 terror attacks. The FAA notice warned violators risked being shot down.
Earlier this week, the anti-drone technology was launched near the southern border to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones. The flying material turned out to be a party balloon, sources said. One balloon was shot down, several sources said.
The Mexican cartels have been running drones on the border lately, the sources said, but it was unclear how many were hit by the military’s anti-UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) technology this week. One official said at least one cartel drone was successfully disabled.
The grounding of all flights, including emergency medical evacuation, touched off a scramble among law enforcement agencies Wednesday morning to figure out what prompted the security message in the so-called NOTAM.
It was discussed in a regular meeting at the White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ office Wednesday morning, and within minutes the FAA lifted the restrictions, sources said.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Pentagon and Department of Transportation officials had been coordinating on the military drone tests for months, and the FAA had been assured that there was no threat to commercial air travel.
Two airline sources said airline officials were told the decision to halt flights in and out of the El Paso Airport appeared to stem from drone activity and U.S. government efforts to counteract it.
The airlines were under the impression that the airspace closure was put into place out of an abundance of caution because the FAA could not predict where U.S. government drones might be flying. The drones have been operating outside of their normal flight paths. The airlines were also aware of the apparent impasse between the FAA and Pentagon officials over the issue because the Pentagon has been using Fort Bliss for anti-cartel drone operations without sharing information with the FAA, the sources said
One official said it was unclear whether anyone would be fired in connection to the miscommunications over the closure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement, “The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
The Pentagon said it had nothing to add when asked by CBS News how many drones were targeted, what actions were taken and when.
FAA’s heightened attention followed the mid-air collision over Washington, D.C. between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet a year ago.
