The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after it announced a 10-day closure that would have grounded all flights to and from the airport.The FAA announced in a social media post that it has lifted the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and all flights would resume.The shutdown was expected 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 the surrounding metro area is included, is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside the neighboring city Ciudad Juárez in Mexico.Here’s the latest:‘There is no danger to commercial travel in the region’Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on the social platform X that the FAA and Defense Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”He said normal flights are resuming.Concern and calls for autonomy in neighboring Ciudad Juárez, MexicoThor Salayandia, head of Mexico’s Border Business Association, explained that many Mexican maquilas — factories that produce goods for mostly U.S. consumers — said their businesses depend on the El Paso airport to ship their products.Salayandia, the head of his family’s auto-parts manufacturing business, added that Mexican authorities should consider bolstering their airport in Juárez so as not be as dependent on the whims of their northern neighbor, coming on top of calls for more economic autonomy in the wake of Trump’s tariff threats.“Nothing like this has ever happened in the region,” he said. “There’s a lot of confusion.”An administration official says airspace closure was tied to cartel dronesA Trump administration official said the airspace over El Paso was closed after Mexican cartel drones breached the airspace, but said that the Defense Department took action to disable the drones.Both the FAA and Defense Department have determined there is no threat to commercial travel, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a national security issue.The official did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.

EL PASO, Texas —

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after it announced a 10-day closure that would have grounded all flights to and from the airport.

The FAA announced in a social media post that it has lifted the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and all flights would resume.

The shutdown was expected 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 the surrounding metro area is included, is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside the neighboring city Ciudad Juárez in Mexico.

Here’s the latest:

‘There is no danger to commercial travel in the region’

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on the social platform X that the FAA and Defense Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”

He said normal flights are resuming.

Concern and calls for autonomy in neighboring Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Thor Salayandia, head of Mexico’s Border Business Association, explained that many Mexican maquilas — factories that produce goods for mostly U.S. consumers — said their businesses depend on the El Paso airport to ship their products.

Salayandia, the head of his family’s auto-parts manufacturing business, added that Mexican authorities should consider bolstering their airport in Juárez so as not be as dependent on the whims of their northern neighbor, coming on top of calls for more economic autonomy in the wake of Trump’s tariff threats.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in the region,” he said. “There’s a lot of confusion.”

An administration official says airspace closure was tied to cartel drones

A Trump administration official said the airspace over El Paso was closed after Mexican cartel drones breached the airspace, but said that the Defense Department took action to disable the drones.

Both the FAA and Defense Department have determined there is no threat to commercial travel, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a national security issue.

The official did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.