Mexican cartel drones entered U.S. airspace, prompting the FAA to halt flights from El Paso Airport, but the ban was quickly lifted.

A Mexican cartel used drones that crossed the border between Mexico and the USA, affecting the operations of El Paso International Airport in Texas. On Wednesday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a temporary ban on flights, which was set to last 10 days. However, a few hours later, the FAA announced that the ban had been lifted after the Department of Defense deactivated the drones that were violating American airspace.

Authorities confirmed that there are no longer any threats to commercial aviation. The airport, located near the border with Mexico, initially had a ban targeting a 16-kilometer area. Although the FAA frequently halts flights due to weather or traffic, a closure for security reasons is rare. The airport handled nearly 3.5 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, with 1,314 scheduled departures in February, including 40 on the day of the incident.