The FAA’s sudden closure of El Paso Airport has taken local officials by surprise. It is virtually unprecedented to suddenly close a US airport like this, for this long (even after the attacks of September 11, 2001, airports were not closed for 10 days).
And of course, the federal government has not given any specific reason for such a closure.
Came here to see if there was any information beyond the bare bones news coverage (maybe from locals who can report on the ground).
Absent any more concrete details, I’m going to assume they’re moving all the bodies and alien technology from Area 51.
From what I’m reading on Reddit, even the local military installations seem to not have known in advance, and the Pentagon pizza index hasn’t moved, so it’s probably not about a “real” military intervention against Mexico.
As someone who has made multiple same-day-booking emergency trips through ELP in the past year, this was not happy news to wake up to. Best I can do is fly to ABQ and rent a car for the 3.5 h drive.
I’m curious if we’ve ever seen something like this before.
Reddit discussion thread. Lots of speculation. Very limited facts.
I’m sticking with aliens.
Random trumpery. Which is even more unprecedented and unpredictable than aliens.
In my 35 years in the biz I’ve never seen anything like this.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this was about aliens, but not the kind from other planets.
I’d speculate that we are going to take military action against the cartel in Juarez and that the government will claim that the cartel has infiltrated El Paso airport security.
In other words it’s time for another distraction from the Epstein files and ICE activities.
I think you’re right. El Paso is a suburb of the alien hot-spot Juarez.
At this point, I just have to wonder: Are “we” keeping the aliens OUT? Or keeping the natives (and cheap indentured farm labor) IN?
Here’s a map. It is not formatted for mobile:
There are two Temporary Flight Restrictions. There’s a circle around El Paso and a trapezoid along the border in NM where there is absolutely nothing but some long-cold volcanoes. I was going to write “nothing but rattlesnakes” but I’ve never even encountered one hiking out there.
So it’s not specifically the airport itself that’s closed, but all the airspace around it below 18,000 ft which also includes a small section of NM and an army air base.
Yeah, brown people are about to die.
I imagine this also means all kinds of medical evacuation flights are also shut down.
The unpredictable chaos from this government continues to astound me.
Yep. Along with all other essential services that rely on air transport. I don’t know what they’re up to but since Trump is involved it can’t be good.
Is it conceivable that this is a rehearsal for something they plan on a wider scale for the november election?
Possibly retaliation for a recent city vote to limit new ICE detention facilities?
Not necessarily, at least for the helos picking up a trauma victim from the field or an interhospital transfer; they can & do regularly get clearance in a routine TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction); hell, I’ve done hot-air balloon flights in a TFR, with permission, of course; even had the Secret Service there to send us off. However, this is not a normal TFR so I don’t know (I didn’t read it) what extra-special restrictions might apply.
Well, on the one hand I can’t see how shutting down airports would help them there. On the other hand, they’re idiots so who knows? Just because it makes no sense doesn’t mean they won’t do it. It’s hard to guess the motivations for behavior when the people behind it are irrational and stupid.
I think the advent of smartphones is a good debunker of alien sightings and suspicious UFO linked military activity (and related issues like the Loch Ness Monster). How were there so many reports in the 20th century of people alleging to have seen these things and causing urban legends that last for generations but now when everyone has a high definition camera in their pockets no one can substantiate the hearsay
IIRC NOTAMs usually do mention medical flights are allowed with prior authorization, I did not see any mention of them in the NOTAM in question.
Brian