EL PASO — The Federal Aviation Administration is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, citing “special security reasons” in grounding all flights to and from the airport.
A notice posted on the FAA’s website said the temporary flight restrictions were for “special security reasons,” but did not provide additional details. The closure does not include Mexican airspace.
The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late Feb. 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.
The temporary restrictions cover 10 nautical miles around the city and apply to an altitude of as much as 17,999 feet, according to the FAA notice to airmen — a type of advisory warning of hazards and operational situations.
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Flights were also barred from the airspace over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in New Mexico, the FAA said.
The White House and FAA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal business hours.
The shutdown is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
The airport sits next to the U.S. military’s Biggs Army Airfield and over the border from the Mexican city of Juarez.
The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta all operate flights there, among others.
The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website.
Reuters News Agency contributed to this report.