The unexpected shutdown of the entire airspace over El Paso, Texas, was reportedly related to federal officials disagreeing about the safety of anti-drone tests near the El Paso International Airport after the U.S. military shot down a party balloon earlier this week that it mistook for a drone.
The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly ordered the airspace’s closure Tuesday night after the Defense Department started testing new counter-drone technology involving a high-energy laser near the Fort Bliss Army base, ahead of planned meetings with the FAA to discuss its safety, CBS News and The New York Times reported, citing multiple sources.
FAA officials had warned the Pentagon that it could close the airspace if it was not given proper time to carry out a safety review. After the testing commenced anyway, resulting in the balloon’s destruction, the FAA ordered the airspace’s closure without alerting the White House, Pentagon or Homeland Security officials, sources told The Times.