US locks down Texas' El Paso airport until February 20, all flights halted - What flyers need to know
The US Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace around the border city of El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, citing ‘special security reasons.’
ALL take-offs and landings at the El Paso International Airport in Texas, United States, have been halted due to ‘special security reasons’. Without giving more details, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the halting of all flights. The airport sits next to the US military's Biggs Army Airfield.
“All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo and general aviation. The FAA has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30 PM (MST). Travellers should contact their airlines to get the most up-to-date flight status information,” the Texas' El Paso Airport said in an advisory.
El Paso airport said the restrictions had been issued “on short notice”. The airport was now waiting for additional guidance from the FAA, The New York Times reported. Not just at the El Paso airport, all flights were barred from flying over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in New Mexico, the FAA said.
In its notice, the FAA classified the El Paso airspace as “(National) Defense Airspace”, warning that whoever violates the airspace could be intercepted, detained and questioned by law enforcement. Additional actions will also be taken against the pilots if they do not follow the restrictions.
What flyers should know about the restrictions at El Paso?
What we know so far from media reports is that the instruction to close down the airport airspace and that of the Santa Teresa community nearby was given on very short notice. Also Read | FAA flight cuts at 40 US airports: How much will it impact flyers? United Airlines, American Airlines, others react
The flights were halted starting February 10 at 11:30 pm local time, the airport operator said in a travel advisory posted on its official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The restrictions on all flights will remain until February 21 and cover a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the airport, not including Mexican airspace, the agency added. They also apply to an altitude of as much as 17,999 feet.
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As per the FAA, all flights into and out of the city are suspended.
The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. Major US airlines, including Southwest, Delta, United and American fly there.
“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM,” the FAA notice said.
