FAA abruptly lifts order halting El Paso flights; Trump official says Defense Dept. disabled Mexican cartel drones
El Paso International Airport
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The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly halted all flights into and out of El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days starting Wednesday morning, citing “special security” orders, and then lifted the order hours later.
The Defense Department has disabled Mexican cartel drones violating U.S. airspace and there is currently no threat to commercial air travel, a Trump administration official said.
“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA said in a post on X. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will continue normally.”
Security personnel outside El Paso International Airport after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, saying all flights will continue normally and there is no threat to commercial aviation, February 11, 2026, in El Paso, Texas, USA.
José Luis González | Reuters
The airport is located next to Biggs Army Airport and is close to the Mexican border, approximately 12 miles from Juarez, Mexico. The Pentagon referred a question regarding the nature of the security issue to the FAA.
Flights were initially stopped until the end of February 20, and the ban was applied to the 10 nautical mile area around the airport. The FAA has not yet explained what the safety reasons were for the temporary sudden stop or why it was set for such a long period of time.
While the FAA regularly halts flights at airports due to weather conditions, traffic and even rocket launches, a safety issue like announcing an effective closure of airspace for this long is highly unusual.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from Texas whose district includes most of El Paso, said the move to suddenly close the airspace was “unprecedented.”
“There was no advance notice given to my office, the city of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations,” he said in a statement.
EL PASO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 25: A sign at El Paso International Airport (ELP) in El Paso, Texas on December 25, 2025.
KirbyLee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Approximately 3.5 million passengers passed through the airport in the first 11 months of 2025 and it is in service. Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines And Border AirlinesAccording to airport data.
According to aviation data firm Cirium, 1,314 departures were scheduled from the El Paso airport this month, with nearly 40 of them taking place on Wednesday.
Southwest has 23 of more than 3,000 flights scheduled systemwide at the airport on Wednesday. The airline said Wednesday it would resume operations to and from El Paso and encouraged passengers to check its website for updated information.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees,” he said.
United said it did not cancel any flights and rescinded an earlier travel waiver.
