"The government's ability to deal with drones that pose a threat on American soil has been questioned this week after the use of a laser designed to shoot down drones near the border in Texas led to the abrupt closure of the airspace over El Paso, sources familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The details of exactly what happened before the Federal Aviation Administration shut down the busy airport in the Mexican border city on Wednesday aren't entirely clear,"
"The government would say only that the airspace was shut down when an incursion by Mexican drug cartel drones was neutralized. But the two people who discussed sensitive details on condition of anonymity said the FAA grounded every aircraft in the El Paso area over concerns about the safety of the laser system being used near commercial planes. The restrictions were initially expected to last 10 days, but then they were lifted a few hours later."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection deployed a laser near the Texas border to neutralize drones, triggering an abrupt closure of El Paso airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded aircraft over safety concerns after deployment occurred without coordination with the FAA. Travel cancellations and scrambled passengers resulted when restrictions were briefly expected to last ten days but were lifted after a few hours. Congress recently expanded authority for more law enforcement agencies to take down rogue drones if properly trained, increasing the potential for similar incidents. Government agencies acknowledged communication issues and are working to improve coordination and safety protocols.
Read at Fortune
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