Leaders seek answers as FAA shuts down, reopens El Paso airspace

Описание: More than a day after federal officials abruptly shut down airspace over El Paso, local and federal leaders said they still have not received a clear explanation for what prompted the move — or why it was reversed just hours later.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson told CNN on Thursday that more than 24 hours after the closure, he still had not heard from the Trump administration about what led to the decision.

Johnson criticized the lack of communication with local officials.

“We haven't heard any good reasons why they didn't coordinate with us. We have an emergency operation center that should have been looped in. I want to tell you that this created complete chaos and confusion in our community,” Johnson said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction late Tuesday night, restricting airspace over the region and grounding flights coming in and out of El Paso International Airport.

The restriction was initially set to last 10 days but was lifted hours later.

Conflicting explanations have circulated about what caused the shutdown.

Some reports stated the closure may have stemmed from a disagreement between the FAA and the Department of Defense over anti-drone laser testing near Fort Bliss.

However, the Pentagon blamed the closure on Mexican cartel drones breaching U.S. airspace.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, later said drone incursions from Mexico are not unusual.

U.S Border Patrol previously addressed drone activity in the region in a 2019 press release.

“There was nothing extraordinary about the drone and any drone incursion into us, into the U.S. that I'm aware of,” Escobar said.

STORY: https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/leaders...

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