El Paso Worldwide Airport
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The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly grounded all flights out and in of El Paso Worldwide Airport in Texas for 10 days beginning Wednesday morning, citing “particular safety” directions — after which lifted the order hours later.
A Trump administration official mentioned the Division of Protection disabled Mexican cartel drones that had breached U.S. airspace and that there was no menace to business air journey presently.
“The non permanent closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA mentioned in a submit on X. “There isn’t a menace to business aviation. All flights will resume as regular.”
The airport sits subsequent to Biggs Military Airfield and is close to the Mexican border, about 12 miles from Juarez, Mexico.
Flights have been initially halted till late Feb. 20 and the ban utilized to a 10-nautical-mile space across the airport. The FAA hadn’t instantly disclosed the safety causes for the non permanent sudden halt or why it was set for therefore lengthy.
Safety personnel outdoors El Paso Worldwide Airport after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted its non permanent closure of the airspace over El Paso, saying all flights will resume as regular and that there was no menace to business aviation, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., February 11, 2026.
Jose Luis Gonzalez | Reuters
Whereas the FAA usually halts flights at airports for climate, site visitors and even rocket launches, a safety situation is very uncommon, as is saying such an extended efficient airspace closure.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson referred to as the non permanent grounding a “main and pointless disruption” and referred to as for higher communication from the federal authorities.
Some lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for the way the sudden order performed out.
Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, the rating member of the Home Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. André Carson of Indiana, rating member of the subcommittee on aviation, referred to as it “unacceptable.”
“Whereas we’re not pleased with the disruption, we commend the FAA for taking swift motion to guard vacationers and make sure the security of U.S. airspace,” they mentioned in a joint assertion. “We look ahead to pursuing a bipartisan answer that strengthens interagency coordination and ensures that the Division of Protection is not going to jeopardize security and disrupt the liberty to journey.”
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat whose district consists of a lot of El Paso, mentioned the transfer to out of the blue shut airspace was “unprecedented.”
“There was no advance discover supplied to my workplace, the Metropolis of El Paso, or anybody concerned in airport operations,” she mentioned in an announcement.
Practically 3.5 million passengers handed via the airport within the first 11 months of 2025 and it’s served by Southwest Airways, Delta Air Strains, American Airways, United Airways and Frontier Airways, in keeping with airport information.
There have been 1,314 departures scheduled for the El Paso airport this month, in keeping with aviation information agency Cirium, together with about 40 departures on Wednesday.
Southwest has 23 flights scheduled on the airport Wednesday, out of greater than 3,000 systemwide. The airline mentioned Wednesday it’s resuming operations to and from El Paso and inspired vacationers to examine its web site for up to date info.
“Nothing is extra essential to Southwest than the Security of its Prospects and Workers,” it mentioned.
United mentioned it did not cancel any flights and that it canceled an earlier journey waiver.
