The FAA abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso, Texas for the next ten days for "special security reasons." The closure caught the El Paso airport and pilots off guard.
🚨 BREAKING: The FAA has abruptly CLOSED the airspace around El Paso for TEN DAYS for “special security reasons”
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
ALL flights are grounded, including commercial, cargo, general aviation, and there’s no exemption for medevac.
The airport and pilots were given little to no notice,… pic.twitter.com/RFtTsVHMss
"Just be advised I guess there's a TFR going into effect," an air traffic controller said to a Southwest pilot who just landed at El Paso. "Just pass it on to Southwest and everybody else at 0630 for the next ten days we're stopped. All ground stopped."
"Okay," the pilot replied. "Ground stop 0630 for how long?"
"Ten days," air traffic control replied.
"So the airport's totally closed?" the pilot asked, sounding surprised.
"Apparently, we just got informed about 30 minutes to an hour ago."
"So for ten days you guys are not open?" the pilot asked.
"Well, I mean we'll be here but no air traffic," air traffic control replied.
"Okay, thanks for the heads up," the pilot said, laughing.
A notice posted on the FAA’s website said the temporary flight restrictions were for “special security reasons,” but did not provide additional details. The closure does not include Mexican airspace.
The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on Feb. 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.
The shutdown 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 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
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NewsWire says this is the first time such a closure of airspace has happened since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Closing airspace over a major U.S. city for an extended period due to security concerns hasn’t happened since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. — El Paso Matters https://t.co/zLIwILe31E
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) February 11, 2026
According to Fox News, the FAA is warning pilots who don't comply that they may be "intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement."
🚨BREAKING: FAA just ordered a full halt on ALL flights to and from El Paso, Texas, for the next 10 days.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 11, 2026
Reason? “Unspecified special security reasons.”
No details, no explanation, just grounded.pic.twitter.com/KaQfZaTxzh
The El Paso International Airport also issued a statement:
The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso...Commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related.
According to CNN, the FAA also halted flights in an area of southern New Mexico, too.
FAA halts all flights to and from El Paso, Texas, and an area of southern New Mexico for 10 days over security concerns https://t.co/sEY8yuuXnw pic.twitter.com/XP1MFUooQV
— CNN (@CNN) February 11, 2026
El Paso International Airport saw 3.5 million passengers pass through in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. The airport describes itself as "the gateway to West Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico."
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