FAA Lifts Closure of Airspace over El Paso, Texas

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after it announced a 10-day closure that would have grounded all flights to and from the airport.

The FAA announced in a social media post that it has lifted the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso, saying that there was no threat to commercial aviation and all flights would resume.

The shutdown was expected 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 a hub of cross-border commerce alongside the neighboring city Ciudad Juárez in Mexico.

Here’s the latest:

FAA lifts temporary closure of airspace over El Paso

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after it announced a 10-day closure that would have grounded all flights to and from the airport.

The FAA said in a social media post that it has lifted the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and that all flights will resume.

The shutdown announced just hours earlier “for special security reasons” had been expected to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area.

Airport travelers have been left stranded

Local newscasts showed travelers with luggage lining up at airline ticket counters and car rental desks hours after flights were grounded in El Paso.

The closure has left stranded travelers with few nearby options. The closest major U.S. airport is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 270 miles (434.5 kilometers) away.

El Paso borders Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez

Ciudad Juárez is home to about 1.5 million people. Like many border-spanning communities, some residents are accustomed to using facilities like airports on both sides of the border, depending on where they are traveling.

The city exploded in size in recent decades as free trade agreements spurred a boom in assembly plants that offer less-expensive labor and the advantage of easy access to the U.S. market. Nearly 97% of the goods produced in Juarez’s plants go to the United States, according to Mexico’s Economic Ministry.

That easy access to the U.S. has also made Juarez, like other border cities, attractive to Mexico’s drug cartels that seek control in order to safeguard their smuggling routes for drugs and migrants headed north and cash and guns coming south.

The Pentagon referred questions to the FAA

When asked if the ban was related to U.S. military operations, the Pentagon referred comment to the FAA in an email.

Southwest Airlines issues statement

Southwest Airlines said in the statement that it has paused all operations to and from El Paso at the direction of the FAA.

“We have notified affected customers and will share additional information as it becomes available,” Southwest Airlines said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”

Democrat lawmaker says no warning was given for the restriction

Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. There was no advance notice given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, she said.

“The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,” Escobar said. “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.”

Santa Teresa airspace also closed

A similar temporary flight restriction for special security reasons over the same time period was imposed around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport.

FAA closes airspace around El Paso for 10 days, citing ‘special security reasons’

The Federal Aviation Administration is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport.

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 Juárez in Mexico.

The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta all operate flights there, among others.