The Federal Aviation Administration issued an extraordinary order late Tuesday night grounding all flights at El Paso International Airport for ten days, invoking national defense authority while providing no detailed public explanation for the move. The restriction, which took effect at 11:30 p.m. Mountain Time on February 10 and is set to expire at 11:30 p.m. on February 20, halts all aircraft operations in and out of the airport, including commercial, cargo, general aviation, military, medical evacuation, and law enforcement flights.
In an advisory released early Wednesday, the El Paso city government confirmed the sweeping nature of the restriction: “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) and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST).”
The restricted zone covers a 10 nautical mile radius around the airport, extending from the ground up to 17,000 feet. According to reporting from El Paso Matters, the airspace encompasses El Paso and Fort Bliss and stretches across much of El Paso County. It also includes a significant portion of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa, reaching north to the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument. Mexican airspace is not included.
The FAA classified the area as national defense airspace in its official Notice to Air Missions. The notice states: “THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS ‘NTL DEFENSE AIRSPACE’. PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROC MAY BE INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY PERSONNEL,”
It further warns: “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE ACFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT,”
The language, particularly the reference to deadly force, drew immediate attention from aviation observers and local officials, especially given the duration and scale of the restriction. A person familiar with the notices, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly, told El Paso Matters that the action is without modern precedent outside of the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. That individual described the scope of the order in stark terms: “All air traffic has been halted in a 10 nautical mile range around the airport, so encompassing El Paso and Fort Bliss, from the ground to 17,000 feet. So no aircraft in or out, regardless of what they are, whether it’s air carriers, military, medevac helicopters, law enforcement. Nobody can fly as this thing is written up,” the person said.
Local officials said they received no advance warning. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, issued a statement emphasizing both the unusual nature of the move and the lack of immediate threat information provided to her office. “The highly consequential decision by the FAA to shut down the El Paso airport for 10 days is unprecedented and resulted in significant concern in the community. From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas,” Escobar said.
She added, “There was no advance notice provided to my office, the city of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations. We have urged the FAA to lift the temporary flight restrictions placed on the El Paso area. I will continue to make information public as I learn it.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat representing San Antonio, told The New York Times that he did not have additional information when contacted. “Sorry, I don’t have some clear answer,” Castro said. Asked whether he was surprised by the order, he responded, “Yes.”
Airport officials indicated that they were seeking clarification from federal authorities. The city’s advisory stated: “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 Federal Aviation Administration did not respond to requests for comment from El Paso Matters regarding the basis for the decision. The notices include a phone number for the FAA’s Special Operations Support Center. When El Paso Matters contacted the number, a man identifying himself as Eric said he could not explain the reasoning behind the order. “Not really, not because I won’t, it’s because I don’t know. I mean, this is just the office that publishes. So we’re handed the sheets and they say go with it,” Eric said.
The sudden closure prompted widespread public reaction. Franklin Leonard, a contributing editor with Vanity Fair, expressed confusion at the limited information provided, writing: “What on Earth is going on?”
Veteran NPR news producer John Stempkin also underscored the unusual nature of the order. “So this is really strange,” Stempkin said. “No reason given. No one, not even military users, were apparently given advanced warning. Aside from 9/11, I can’t remember anything like that.”
The Associated Press reported that the suspension “is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area.” El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000, functions as a key hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. The ten day halt in all air traffic is expected to affect commercial travel, cargo operations, and regional transportation systems across West Texas and southern New Mexico.
As of Wednesday morning, federal authorities had not publicly detailed any specific security threat prompting the classification of the airspace as national defense airspace. Escobar reiterated that, based on the information available to her office, “there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”
COMMENTS