FAA closes El Paso airspace for 10 days for ‘special security reasons’

The Federal Aviation Administration announced late Tuesday that airspace around the border city of El Paso, Texas, would be closed for the next 10 days for “special security reasons” — grounding all flights to and from a US-based international airport for the first time since after the 9/11 terror attacks.

“All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo and general aviation,” the airport wrote on Instagram of the restrictions, which will remain in effect until Feb. 20.

“Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information.”

While no specific reason was given for the closure, the Trump administration has actively considered launching drone strikes on Mexican drug cartels.

NBC News reported this past April that possible targets included top cartel figures as well as logistical networks — with the cooperation of the Mexican government.

The CIA is already using surveillance drones to track cartel activities around the southern border region.

More than 4 million passengers moved through El Paso International Airport in 2024, the most recent full year for which such statistics are available.

American Airlines, United, Delta, and Southwest are among the major carriers that offer services from the airport.

El Paso is the sixth-most populous city in Texas, with an estimated 879,000 residents in its metropolitan area. Just across the Rio Grande, the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez has a population of approximately 2.5 million — many of whom also rely on the airport for travel.

The advisory does not apply to Mexican airspace or aircraft flying above 18,000 feet.

An American Airlines flight from Chicago was the last plane to land before airspace closed at 11:30 p.m. MT Tuesday, touching down at 10:57 p.m., NBC reported.

A private plane from Everett, Wash., was supposed to land at 1:13 a.m. MT Wednesday but was diverted to the much smaller Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico, about 45 miles away.

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), the local congresswoman, called on the FAA to reopen the airspace “immediately.”

“From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas,” Escobar wrote on X Wednesday morning. “There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations.”

Chris Canales, an El Paso City Council member, also claimed local officials weren’t given a heads-up about the restriction.

“We’re all trying to work out why this crazy NOTAM [Notice to Airmen] was issued by the FAA,” Canales wrote on Reddit.

“It isn’t a typo or error. FAA issued this NOTAM intentionally as written. Nobody local got advance notice — neither civilian nor military leadership.

“Military does not have cart blanche exemption. Army seems to be fretting about their flights tomorrow just as much as everyone else. Local air traffic controllers didn’t get advance notice.”