Cierre total del espacio aéreo en El Paso por 10 días (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Breaking out of El Paso, Texas, where in a rare move, the airspace is now closed for 10 days. The FAA is halting all flights to and from El Paso International, citing, quote, special security reasons. It's a move that even shocked flight crews when they heard.

[00:00:18] Speaker 2: So El Paso is going to be shut down to air traffic for security reasons. Do you know if there's any exceptions for Medevac status? That's a great question. There are no exceptions. It's a complete ground stop, and it's a complete ground stop. Not even Medevacs are allowed to fly.

[00:00:38] Speaker 1: The restrictions will also apply to part of southern New Mexico. It's a rare move. Experts say the U.S. hasn't closed airspace for security since the 9-11 terror attacks. Joining me now to discuss is Mary Schiavo, CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mary, thank you so much for being here. What I noticed with those air traffic controllers is they're asking what we're asking. Is there a reason? And they say no, not that they know, but that there's no exceptions, not even Medevac. Can you talk about how unusual that is?

[00:01:13] Speaker 3: Well, it's very unusual. And like you mentioned, not since September 11, 2001. But remember, the grounding of September 11, 2001 came too late. And the FAA is often criticized for being reactive, not proactive. So in order to do this, and the reason it doesn't happen very often is the FAA and, of course, TSA and national security, intel agencies have to have a credible threat or a high significant security risk. And that means they have information that something would endanger the air traffic above El Paso in the area, or it poses a danger from the air to people on the ground. And the threat has to show they have some ability to do it. So this is undoubtedly very serious. And then also it could be military exercises. It could be in support of law enforcement. The FAA can do that for those reasons as well. Or they can do it if they have foreign intelligence, that they don't have all the details yet, but they have enough from a foreign intelligence source trustworthy that something presents a huge risk and more details to follow. So there are many reasons they can do it.

[00:02:23] Speaker 1: Yeah, let me follow up then, because there was something specific in the alert, which was called a notice to airmen. It talks about the airspace being closed. And then it has this warning for pilots that, quote, the United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat. Is that standard language?

[00:02:46] Speaker 3: Well, yes, it is in a very serious case. For example, that was the language after September 11. And that's the language if you stray too close, even as a private pilot, to air bases or facilities where you may not go. They will usually send an escort. Sometimes they send an escort just for training. I got one once in Ohio. But it can be done. And it's certainly part of the protocol when the threat is serious.

[00:03:13] Speaker 1: A local reporter actually told CNN that they were able to get through to the FAA. Here's what they learned.

[00:03:19] Speaker 4: I was able to get through to an FAA official who actually was the one who put out the notice. And he said he couldn't even tell me what it was about, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know. He was just told, get this notice out now. And so it's this area around El Paso International Airport. And El Paso is the nation's 23rd largest city. So this is a big deal.

[00:03:46] Speaker 1: He mentioned this being a big deal. Can you talk about how shutting down airspace can have ripple effects?

[00:03:53] Speaker 3: Oh, certainly it can. And then also it's the airspace next to El Paso that covers some military airspace as well. So it's not just the airport. And that gives us a pretty big clue and extends up to a nearby mountain range. But yes, of course. And it's not unusual that not everyone in the FAA would know, because you have to have different levels of clearance. Just because you're cleared to work in the tower doesn't mean that you have the highest levels of intelligence clearance. And this warning may have come through at a very high level. I mean, top secret and even levels above that. So that's not unusual.

[00:04:26] Speaker 1: There's going to be some people maybe online who are going to say, this looks very close to this search people are doing for Nancy Guthrie and try to tie these news stories together. What cautions do you have? What would you offer people as they're learning this news this morning?

[00:04:46] Speaker 3: Well, you know, first of all, the FAA can support law enforcement activities. But with the military base, not the base itself, but this area nearby that covers some military activity, and that it stops right at the Mexico border, I would suspect that it's not tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. But they could do that if there was a need for it. But the 10 day window tells us something is going on, and they don't have the exact date pinpointed. But the FAA, the TSA, and our national intelligence is at erring on the side of safety and security as they should. And a mistake that they don't want to repeat after September 11, 2001. That was a big mistake.

[00:05:28] Speaker 1: That's Mary Schiavo. Thank you for your time. I'm sure we'll be checking in more today.

[00:05:32] Speaker 5: Joining us now on the phone is Robert Moore, the founder and CEO of the independent news organization El Paso Matters. Robert, do I have you?

[00:05:41] Speaker 4: Yes, I'm here, Rahel.

[00:05:44] Speaker 5: Good morning. Thanks for hopping on. What more can you share with us about this news? What are you learning?

[00:05:51] Speaker 4: It's a big mystery. The local government officials were caught off guard by this. I think the military officials at Fort Bliss were caught off guard. But basically, from what we understand, from a 10 mile radius around the El Paso International Airport, it's essentially a no fly zone now. That includes military aircraft, medical evacuation helicopters, law enforcement. Nothing can fly. We've never obviously seen anything like this here, at least since 9-11 when everything was grounded. The FAA is not talking. I was able to get through to an FAA official who actually was the one who put out the notice. And he said he couldn't even tell me what it was about, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know. He was just told, get this notice out now. And so it's this area around El Paso International Airport. And El Paso is the nation's 23rd largest city. So this is a big deal. And then to the west of El Paso in Southern New Mexico, there's another pretty large area along the Mexican border that's also essentially a no fly zone now. The city government in El Paso put out an advisory an hour or so ago that basically all flights are grounded and for people to call the airport but this is about a lot more than just air passenger travel. It's going to shut down all commercial flights, all private flights, all transportation of goods that come by air. This region is kind of a major industrial hub along with Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. So this is going to be very, very disruptive and we just don't have an explanation at this point.

[00:07:49] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[00:07:49] Speaker 5: And to that point, I mean, let's just circle back to that conversation you just shared with us with your source at the FAA. You said you were able to make contact with a source at the FAA. You asked what's going on here? And this person said, even I don't know, not because I can't share it with you, but because I don't know yet.

[00:08:07] Speaker 4: Yeah. And just to be clear, this isn't a source. They put the phone number for what they call the SOCS on the advisory. So I just called that number and identified myself as a journalist and that was the answer I got, which was obviously kind of unnerving in and of itself.

[00:08:26] Speaker 5: And so this closure is already in effect?

[00:08:31] Speaker 4: Yes. And I noticed that Delta Airlines, which is one of the airlines serving El Paso, has already canceled its flights in and out tomorrow morning. Expect to see the other airlines serving El Paso do that. The notices that the FAA put out are about as serious as you can get, basically warning that if you don't comply with this, the government is authorized to use deadly force to bring down the aircraft. I mean, it's a serious, serious advisory. Mm-hmm.

[00:09:04] Speaker 5: Wow. Robert Moore, we appreciate you hopping on as information is still clearly quite limited. Appreciate the time this morning. Thank you.