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 risk 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 risk to business aviation. All flights will resume as regular.”
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 risk to business aviation, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., February 11, 2026.
Jose Luis Gonzalez | Reuters
The airport sits subsequent to Biggs Military Airfield and is close to the Mexican border, about 12 miles from Juarez, Mexico. The Pentagon referred a query concerning the nature of the safety situation to the FAA.
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 what the safety causes for the non permanent sudden halt have been or why it was set for therefore lengthy.
Whereas the FAA recurrently 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.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat whose district consists of a lot of El Paso, mentioned the transfer to abruptly 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 a press release.
EL PASO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 25: An indication on the El Paso Worldwide Airport (ELP) on December 25, 2025 in El Paso, Texas.
Kirby Lee | Getty Photographs Information | Getty Photographs
Practically 3.5 million passengers handed by means of 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, based on airport information.
There have been 1,314 departures scheduled for the El Paso airport this month, based on 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 verify its web site for up to date data.
“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.
