FAA Abruptly Bans All Flights Around El Paso for 10 Days, Lifts the Restrictions Within Hours

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed an unprecedented ban on all flights to and from El Paso that was supposed to last for 10 days, but within a matter of hours, it rescinded the sudden restriction. Late Tuesday, the FAA classified the airspace around El Paso as “National Defense Airspace” through February 20. It warned that pilots who violate the restriction could be intercepted, detained, and questioned by law enforcement. The pilots could also have their flight certifications suspended and face criminal charges. It also warned that the government “may use deadly force” if an aircraft is deemed to pose an “imminent security threat.”The flight restrictions covered some portion of the airspace in New Mexico as well. An air-traffic controller was heard telling flight crews that it was a “complete ground stop” and “not even medevac [flights] are allowed to fly.”But by Wednesday morning, the ban had been lifted. In a post on X, the FAA said, “The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”The sudden notice was expected to lead to significant disruptions. El Paso is the sixth-largest city in Texas and one of the 25 largest cities in America. In the first 11 months of 2025, roughly 3.5 million passengers passed through the El Paso International Airport. The airport said in a statement to a local TV station, KFox14, “The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso and our neighboring community, Santa Teresa, NM. The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations (including commercial, cargo and general aviation).”“Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status,” the statement said. An aviation correspondent for CNN, Pete Muntean, wrote on X that the decision to ban “all flights over a U.S. city — including medevac and police helicopters — has no modern precedent.” The abrupt closure has led to questions about what prompted the decision.A congresswoman whose district includes El Paso, Veronica Escobar, said in a statement that her office received “no advance notice” about the “highly consequential decision” to shut down the airspace. She also said that from what she has “been able to gather,” there is “no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”“We have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area,” she added. Several reports suggested that the flight ban was related to military operations in the area. Mr. Muntean wrote on X that a “source briefed by the FAA” says that the ban was “driven by military operations from Biggs Army Air Field at Fort Bliss. The FAA acted after the Defense Department could not assure civilian flight safety.”Meanwhile, “airline sources” told Reuters that it is “believed” the restriction was connected to the use of counter-drone technology to “address Mexican drug cartels’ use of drones on the U.S.-Mexico border.”After the ban was lifted, a reporter for Semafor, Shelby Talcott, said a source told her that the restriction was “related to Mexican cartel drones breaching US airspace.”“The official says War Dept took action to disable [the] drones & it’s been determined that there’s no threat to commercial travel,” she wrote. The FAA did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. There have been concerns about the safety of civilian aircraft operating in the same airspace as military aircraft since a deadly midair collision near Washington between a passenger jet and a military helicopter that killed 67 people in January 2025. In December, JetBlue reported an “incident” to federal authorities after a pilot on a flight from Curacao to New York said they were forced to stop their climb to avoid colliding with an Air Force aircraft that passed in front of the passenger jet. The Air Force tanker reportedly did not have its transponder on.Last month, the FAA urged airlines to use caution when flying over Mexico and parts of Central and South America due to the risk of military activities. However, those advisories were lifted last month.

FAA Abruptly Bans All Flights Around El Paso for 10 Days, Lifts the Restrictions Within Hours

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