{"id":160163,"date":"2026-02-11T16:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/160163\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T16:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:19:07","slug":"faa-restriction-halts-flights-to-el-paso-and-southern-new-mexico-regional-national-headlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/160163\/","title":{"rendered":"FAA Restriction Halts Flights to El Paso and Southern New Mexico | Regional\/National Headlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington (CNN) \u2014 The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted<\/a> the temporary shutdown of airspace over El Paso, Texas, just a few hours after it was imposed.<\/p>\n

Late Tuesday, the FAA had abruptly issued a temporary flight restriction that immediately grounded all flights up to 18,000 feet around the city for 10 days, effectively shutting down El Paso International Airport.<\/p>\n

The sudden pause over El Paso, along with an area of southern New Mexico, was due to \u201cspecial security reasons<\/a>,\u201d according to the FAA\u2019s website. The FAA did not provide additional details.<\/p>\n

But there was broader confusion Wednesday morning about what led to the closure.<\/p>\n

An administration official told CNN that Mexican cartel drones had breached US airspace. \u201cThe Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with the restriction who was briefed by the FAA said the sweeping flight ban was driven by military operations from nearby Biggs Army Airfield, located on Fort Bliss. Drones, helicopters and other aircraft operate from the facility. The source said the FAA acted after the Department of Defense could not assure the safety of civilian aircraft in the area.<\/p>\n

But a source briefed by the FAA also told CNN the military activity near El Paso involved unmanned aircraft operations and laser countermeasure systems. The source said the issue is that those operations are occurring in airspace immediately adjacent to civilian flight paths serving El Paso International Airport.<\/p>\n

The Drug Enforcement Administration and other US security agencies have used facilities at the Biggs Army Airfield for years as part of efforts to monitor Mexico based drug cartel operations, current and former US officials said.<\/p>\n

One source with knowledge said cartel drones are often found near US airspace, mostly on the Mexico side of the border, but sometimes they come over to the US side. However, they rarely result in an airspace closure.<\/p>\n

By the time the FAA had lifted the flight restrictions, airlines had already issued travel waivers<\/a> and notified customers of potential changes.<\/p>\n

Surprise National Security Flight Restrictions<\/p>\n

In the initial flight restrictions, the FAA classified the area around El Paso\ufeff as \u201c(National) Defense Airspace\u201d and said pilots who violated the restriction could be intercepted, detained and questioned by law enforcement.<\/p>\n

It warned that additional actions could be taken for pilots who don\u2019t adhere to the restrictions, including suspension of flight certifications, criminal charges, and that the US government \u201cmay use deadly force\u201d if an aircraft poses an \u201cimminent security threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audio from LiveATC.net<\/a> includes the moment pilots were made aware of the grounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust pass it on to everybody else, at 06:30 for the next 10 days, we\u2019re all at a ground stop,\u201d a controller said.<\/p>\n

A pilot replies, \u201cOK, ground stop 06:30 for how long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTen days,\u201d the controller replies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the airport is totally closed?\u201d the pilot says, chuckling.<\/p>\n

The controller replies, \u201cApparently, we just got informed about 30 minutes to an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo for 10 days you guys are not open,\u201d the pilot says, in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019ll be here, but no air traffic,\u201d the controller said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK,\u201d laughs the pilot.<\/p>\n

The agency issued the restriction \u201con short notice,\u201d and airport staff have reached out for further guidance, the airport said in another statement to CNN affiliate KFOX<\/a>. El Paso International Airport said<\/a> all commercial, cargo and general aviation flights would be grounded until February 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a complete ground stop \u2026 not even medevac are allowed to fly,\u201d an air-traffic controller was heard telling flight crews of the imminent airspace closure Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d a flight crew member is heard responding in the LiveATC.net<\/a> audio.<\/p>\n

El Paso, with a population of nearly 700,000, is the sixth-largest city in Texas and one of the 25 largest in the United States. It is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez in Mexico.<\/p>\n

Nearly 3.5 million passengers passed through El Paso International Airport in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. The airport describes itself as the gateway to West Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico.<\/p>\n

Samuel, a traveler in El Paso, told CNN affiliate KFOX he was doing a book tour with a client and didn\u2019t get any notification from his airline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just kind of saw all the cops here and the news cameras,\u201d he said. \u201cI gotta figure out what\u2019s going on if there\u2019s another airport that\u2019s not in El Paso, and try to figure out and rent a car out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The airspace closure is expected to be extremely disruptive for El Paso, a major industrial hub, Robert Moore, the founder and CEO of news site El Paso Matters<\/a>, told CNN.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never seen anything like this here at least since 9\/11, when everything was grounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This closure was unique, however, since it was over a specific city and there was no immediate reason apparent.<\/p>\n

This is a developing story and will be updated.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press and CNN\u2019s Toni Odejimi contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

The-CNN-Wire<\/p>\n

\u2122 & \u00a9 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n