How a party balloon sparked a feud between the FAA and Pentagon and shut down a city’s airspace
The sudden and unprecedented Tuesday closure of El Paso’s airspace stemmed from border officials firing a high-energy laser at what they believed to be a cartel drone, according to reports. But, it turned out to be something considerably more innocuous: a party balloon drifting in the wind.
The Texas desert episode led the Federal Aviation Administration — following a dispute with the Pentagon — to close the city’s airspace for ten days, a grounding that has not occurred since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, CBS News reports.
The ban, however, was quickly lifted Wednesday morning, when a Trump administration official told The Independent that a Mexican cartel drone that had “breached” U.S. airspace had been neutralized.
The hours-long airspace closure at America’s 73rd largest airport sparked flight cancellations and outrage from state and local officials.
“I want to be very, very clear that this should’ve never happened,” El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said at a news conference.
In recent weeks, the Pentagon has ramped up planning for deploying military technology near El Paso’s Fort Bliss to hone drone-disabling tactics, according to CBS News.
Sources familiar with the matter described the technology as a high-energy laser.
Multiple meetings were planned to discuss safety impacts, but defense officials wanted to speed up the process. As a result, Customs and Border Protection officials deployed the laser technology earlier this week after receiving training from the military. They had informed the FAA that the weapon would be used during a 10-day window.
This week, immigration officials fired the laser — without informing the FAA — at what they thought was a cartel drone, according to The New York Times. But, the unmanned object was revealed to be a party balloon. It was shot down, multiple sources said.
When reached by The Independent, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment. Representatives for the FAA, CBP and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For years, the U.S. military has been testing high-energy laser weapons to neutralize aircraft in flight, including drones, The Independent previously reported. The Trump administration has said that Mexican cartels use drones to smuggle illicit drugs into the United States.
Following the operation, the FAA announced Tuesday evening that all flight operations at El Paso International Airport — located near the U.S.-Mexico border — would be prohibited for 10 days from February 11-21 due to “special security reasons.”
A similar restriction was put in place over a neighboring community across the border in New Mexico.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford made the decision without consulting the White House or the defense officials, according to CBS News. Bedford reportedly said that the restriction would remain in place until the FAA’s disagreement with the Pentagon had been worked out.
