{"id":337852,"date":"2026-02-11T11:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/the-latest-faa-lifts-temporary-closure-of-airspace-over-el-paso-texas"},"modified":"2026-02-11T11:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:26:12","slug":"the-latest-faa-lifts-temporary-closure-of-airspace-over-el-paso-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/the-latest-faa-lifts-temporary-closure-of-airspace-over-el-paso-texas","title":{"rendered":"The Newest: FAA lifts non permanent closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The shutdown was expected to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city<\/a> 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 Ju\u00e1rez in Mexico.<\/p>\n

Here’s the latest:<\/p>\n

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on the social platform X that the FAA and Defense Department \u201cacted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said normal flights are resuming.<\/p>\n

Thor Salayandia, head of Mexico\u2019s Border Business Association, explained that many Mexican maquilas \u2014 factories that produce goods for mostly U.S. consumers \u2014 said their businesses depend on the El Paso airport to ship their products.<\/p>\n

Salayandia, the head of his family\u2019s auto-parts manufacturing business, added that Mexican authorities should consider bolstering their airport in Ju\u00e1rez 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\u2019s tariff threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing like this has ever happened in the region,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The official did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press journalist Darlene Superville contributed to this report from Washington.<\/p>\n

The Federal Aviation Administration<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The FAA said 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 that all flights will resume. <\/p>\n

The shutdown announced just hours earlier \u201cfor special security reasons\u201d had been expected to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. <\/p>\n

Local newscasts showed travelers with luggage lining up at airline ticket counters and car rental desks hours after flights were grounded in El Paso.<\/p>\n

The closure has left stranded travelers with few nearby options. The closest major U.S. airport is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 270 miles (434.5 kilometers) away.<\/p>\n

Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez is home to about 1.5 million people. Like many border-spanning communities, some residents are accustomed to using facilities like airports on both sides of the border, depending on where they are traveling.<\/p>\n

The city exploded in size in recent decades as free trade agreements spurred a boom in assembly plants that offer less-expensive labor and the advantage of easy access to the U.S. market. Nearly 97% of the goods produced in Juarez\u2019s plants go to the United States, according to Mexico\u2019s Economic Ministry.<\/p>\n

That easy access to the U.S. has also made Juarez, like other border cities, attractive to Mexico\u2019s drug cartels that seek control in order to safeguard their smuggling routes for drugs and migrants headed north and cash and guns coming south.<\/p>\n

When asked if the ban was related to U.S. military operations, the Pentagon referred comment to the FAA in an email.<\/p>\n

Southwest Airlines said in the statement that it has paused all operations to and from El Paso at the direction of the FAA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have notified affected customers and will share additional information as it becomes available,\u201d Southwest Airlines said. \u201cNothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. There was no advance notice given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,\u201d Escobar said. \u201cFrom 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

A similar temporary flight restriction for special security reasons over the same time period was imposed around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport.<\/p>\n

The Federal Aviation Administration is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport.<\/p>\n

A notice posted on the FAA\u2019s website said the temporary flight restrictions were for \u201cspecial security reasons,\u201d but did not provide additional details. The closure does not include Mexican airspace.<\/p>\n

The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on Feb. 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.<\/p>\n

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 Ju\u00e1rez in Mexico.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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