FAA grounds El Paso for 10 days; reopens hours later ‘no threat’

Texas: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reopened the airspace over El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after announcing a 10-day closure that would have grounded all flights. The agency stated on social media that there was no threat to commercial aviation and that normal flight operations would resume immediately.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the closure was in response to what authorities described as a “cartel drone incursion.” He added, “The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region,” though he did not provide specifics on the number of drones or the measures taken to disable them.

Community and political reaction

The abrupt announcement drew criticism from local leaders. Representative Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said there had been no prior notice to her office, the city, or airport operations. “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,” she 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.”

El Paso, a border city with nearly 700,000 residents and a major hub for cross-border commerce alongside Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, was expected to experience significant disruption had the closure lasted the originally announced 10 days.

Airport and airline response

The airport posted on Instagram that all flights—including commercial, cargo, and general aviation—would have been grounded from late Tuesday through February 20. Southwest Airlines confirmed it had paused operations at the FAA’s direction, stating, “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”

A similar temporary flight restriction was also imposed over Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 24 kilometres northwest of El Paso.

While the FAA acted quickly to reopen the airspace, the incident highlights vulnerabilities in U.S. border airspace management and the potential risks posed by unmanned aerial vehicles. Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the drone activity and the security measures needed to prevent future incidents.