US senators seek answers from FAA, Pentagon on Texas airspace closure

By Allyson Versprille

 

Key US senators are seeking answers from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon over what led to the sudden closure of airspace around El Paso, Texas, earlier this week.  

Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the FAA, expressed frustration over the lack of clarity around the closure as dueling narratives caused confusion. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who chairs the commerce panel, also said Thursday that he’s pressed the FAA and the Pentagon to clear up what exactly happened, calling for a classified briefing with lawmakers. 

 

The Department of Defense declined to comment. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford during a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday said he would respond to Cruz directly about a briefing.  

 

 

Administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, have said the shutdown occurred because of Mexican cartel drones that breached the US airspace. Others with knowledge of the events pointed to testing of US military counter-drone laser technology that they said the FAA feared would affect safety of nearby civilian aircraft at El Paso International Airport. 

 

The airspace closure was prompted by Department of Homeland Security operation of an AeroVironment LOCUST system, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

The US Army has more than a dozen of the systems, which include laser and tracking elements and can be mounted on multiple types of vehicles.

 

DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Maria Cantwell of Washington, the Senate Commerce Committee’s top Democrat, said the incident underscores the need to fix the coordination problems between the FAA and the military — especially after similar concerns about communication failures were raised after last year’s midair collision between a US Army helicopter and American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet.

 

Chris Sununu, president of Airlines for America and former Republican governor of New Hampshire, said El Paso was a “big frustration.” In that situation, there was a breakdown in coordination between agencies, he said during an interview on Bloomberg Television.

 

“Clearly some new protocols and better communication have to be put into place to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he added.

 

The FAA issued a notice late Tuesday announcing the El Paso airspace closure and citing “special security reasons.” The shutdown was initially supposed to last 10 days but was reversed hours later. 

 

“The conflicting reports that emerged do not inspire confidence that the FAA and DOD have improved their communications either with each other or within their own organizations,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth, the top Democrat on the aviation-focused subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee. 

 

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy also weighed in even though her agency isn’t involved in the situation, saying these communication issues have persisted for years and are a problem across the federal government —  sometimes within a single agency. “I don’t understand it,” Homendy said. “People can’t talk? It’s astounding to me.”