US reopens El Paso airport after announcing 10-day lockdown - Here's why FAA halted all flights

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reopened the El Paso International Airport in Texas city after halting all take-offs and landings due to ‘special security reasons’. The airport sits next to US military's Biggs Army Airfield.

In a statement, the FAA said that all flights will resume as normal and that there was no threat to commercial aviation. “The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. All flights will resume as normal,” it said.

El Paso airport had earlier said the restrictions had been issued “on short notice”. Not just at the El Paso airport, all flights were barred to fly over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in New Mexico, the FAA said.

“All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo and general aviation. The FAA has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST). Travellers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information,” the Texas' El Paso Airport said in an advisory.

In its notice, the FAA classified the El Paso airspace as “(National) Defense Airspace”, earning the pilots that whoever violates the airspace could be intercepted, detained and questioned by law enforcement. Additional actions will also be taken against the pilots if they do not follow the restrictions.

El Paso airport closure: What we know so far

Earlier in the day, the instruction to close down the airport airspace and that of the Santa Teresa community nearby came on a very short notice. Also Read | FAA flight cuts at 40 US airports: How much will it impact flyers? United Airlines, American Airlines, others react

The flights were halted starting February 10 at 11:30 pm local time, the airport operator said in a travel advisory posted on its official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The restrictions on all flights will remain until February 21 and covered a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the airport, not including Mexican airspace, the agency added. They also apply to an altitude of as much as 17,999 feet.

From the Archives | What caused flight delays at Delhi airport? Over 100 flights hit, airlines issue advisory

As per the FAA, all flights into and out of the city are suspended.

The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. Major US airlines including Southwest, Delta, United and American fly there.

“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM,” the FAA notice said.

(With agency inputs)