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Updated October 16, 2026 at 3:13 PM CDT102 stories

Illustration: a pilot launching a small drone from an open field (not the U.S.-Mexico border)

October 16, 2026 at 3:13 PM CDT

The FAA closes a one-nautical-mile band along the U.S.-Mexico border to unauthorized drones for a year

DOT, the Department of War, and DHS announced a drone flight restriction on October 16 that reaches one nautical mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border, up to 400 feet. The FAA's notice lists it from October 19, 2026, to October 19, 2027. Requests to fly go to Customs and Border Protection.

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Aircraft and product watchThe MultiGP Championship races outside Dallas October 15 to 17, and spectators get in freeOctober 3, 2026

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Developing, Policy, October 15, 2026Portland starts the clock on a possible moratorium on drone delivery hubs, weeks after Amazon applied for one

Developing, Commercial, October 14, 2026Massachusetts lawmakers ask the FAA and Amazon for a local environmental review before Prime Air flies from Westborough

Developing, Policy, October 14, 2026The FCC put the Pentagon's section 1709 letters to Congress into the DJI and Autel dockets, and says it did not rely on them for Covered List additions

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