El Paso flights grounded for 10 days for ‘special security reasons’

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas, grounding all flights in and out of the airport for the next 10 days. No explanation for the closure has been given, beyond a vague reference to “Special Security Reasons.”

The closure was announced late on February 10th in a notice on the FAA website, and applies until February 20th. A second notice lists a similar closure for nearby Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Airspace in a 10-mile radius around El Paso airport is included, though flights above 18,000 feet are unaffected, as is Mexican airspace.

El Paso operates flights from major US airlines including Southwest, Delta, United, and American. The New York Times reports that Southwest will be most affected by the closure, with 480 flights scheduled through the 10-day period. An unnamed spokesperson for the airport told the Times that the closure was issued “on short notice,” and in a social media post has told travelers to contact their airlines for more information.

“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,” El Paso congresswoman Veronica Escobar said in a series of posts on X. “There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations. We have urged the F.A.A. to lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area.”