Federal Aviation Administration

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson about the FAA's temporary closure of airspace over the city, and how it was communicated to city leaders.

The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso, only to reopen it hours later. The bizarre episode pointed to a lack of coordination between the FAA and the Pentagon.

The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down the airspace around El Paso, Texas for ten days citing unspecified security reasons. The abrupt move stops all flights in one of the U.S. largest cities.

The FAA lifted a 10-day flight restriction in the El Paso area after a few hours saying there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The Transportation Secretary said the Defense Department "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion." Local authorities demand answers after the federal government failed to provide clear and timely information about grounding all flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration is lifting restrictions imposed during the country's longest government shutdown. Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST.

San Antonio International Airport and Austin Bergstrom are the only major Texas airports not targeted by the FAA’s reduction in flights.

The federal agency said staffing shortages were to blame for the temporary ground stop.

The FAA had closed two of DCA's three runways so investigators could piece together how the January accident occurred when an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines regional jet.

American Airlines has placed a formal bid with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a new nonstop route between San Antonio and Reagan International Airport, also known as DCA. San Antonio is the largest city in the U.S. without a direct flight to the nation's capital.

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