'Definitely something big': Trump admin shutters airspace in 'unprecedented' move

The Trump administration’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an “unprecedented” order Wednesday morning shuttering all airspace around El Paso, Texas for ten days, an order that left one aviation expert stunned.

“I think it's safe to say it's something very big, either from a national security standpoint or perhaps testing something; equipment, or something going into the air,” said Kyle Bailey, a former FAA Safety Team member, aviation expert and pilot, speaking with Fox News Wednesday.

Early Wednesday morning, the FAA issued what’s known as a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) around El Paso spanning a 10-mile radius and up to 18,000 feet. The FAA cited “special security reasons” as the reason for the TFR, which will remain in effect for 10 days, through Feb. 21.

“Normally temporary flight restrictions could be a day, be two days if it's for VIPs, but it's unprecedented for a 10-day temporary flight restriction,” Bailey continued.

“From the surface up to 18,000 feet and a ten-mile radius... if it was like a space ship launch or something like that, that would be unlimited, but 18,000 feet itself is very, very high for a temporary flight restriction. So it's definitely something big, like a national security event [or] a very high-level VIP.”

The Trump administration has yet to comment on the reason for the TFR, and Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt noted the unprecedented nature of the order.

“Overnight, the FAA [shut down] all airspace over El Paso, Texas for the next ten days for unspecified 'security' reasons, warning any planes violating [it] can be shot down,” Earhardt said. “Closing airspace over a major U.S. city for this reason is very rare and has not happened since after 9/11.”

Earhardt asked Bailey if the TFR could have been issued due to staffing shortages of air traffic controllers. He immediately ruled that theory out given the relatively low air traffic seen around El Paso. Instead, he again suspected the order could have been issued due to the U.S. military – which has two bases in El Paso, Biggs Army Airfield and Fort Bliss – “testing something that’s going into the air.”