A confusing air traffic shutdown above the city of El Paso has come to an end as quickly as it began. After ordering an unprecedented 10-day total shutdown of the region’s airspace late Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reversed course on Wednesday morning, announcing that the restrictions have been fully lifted.
The sudden reopening was announced via the agency’s official X account, stating, “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 initial grounding had sent shockwaves through West Texas and Southern New Mexico. The FAA’s emergency order had designated the skies over El Paso International Airport and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, as “National Defense Airspace,” warning pilots that unauthorized aircraft could face military interception or even the use of “deadly force.” The restriction was originally intended to last until February 20, a duration that local leaders called “unprecedented” and highly disruptive for a major city of 700,000 people.
READ: Mystery Deepens As Person of Interest Released In Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Investigation
During the brief closure, all flights—including commercial airlines, cargo shipments, and emergency medevac services—were strictly prohibited. Radio logs from the night of the closure captured the confusion of pilots and air traffic controllers who were given almost no advance warning. U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar and other local officials had spent the morning pressing the federal government for answers, noting that they were given no prior notice of a move that effectively cut off one of the state’s largest hubs.
While the FAA has now cleared the skies for travel, the “special security reasons” originally cited for the lockdown remain a mystery. The agency has not provided any details regarding what prompted the drastic measures or why the perceived threat was so quickly resolved. For now, travelers are being advised to check with their airlines for updated schedules as the airport works to clear the backlog of canceled flights.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
