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By Jasmine Laws and Shane Croucher
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Texas Representative Veronica Escobar said there is "no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas" after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a sudden 10-day Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) over the El Paso area for "special security reasons," which halted flights to and from the city's international airport.
The FAA has now reopened the airspace, writing on X: "The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."
The White House told Newsweek in a statement that "Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel."
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Escobar, a House Democrat whose district is in El Paso, said on X on Wednesday morning before the airspace was lifted, "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."
"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. 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 immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area. I will continue to make information public as I learn it."
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Why It Matters
The last time the airspace of a major U.S. city was closed for an extended period of time for security reasons was allegedly the 9/11 attacks, and lawmakers shared their confusion about the alert on social media. Chris Canales, who represents El Paso in the Texas House of Representatives, wrote: "We're all trying to work out why this crazy NOTAM was issued by the FAA."
What To Know
On Wednesday, the FAA issued a NOTAM over the southern border city, which is the headquarters for Fort Bliss, one of the major U.S. Army posts, without specifying what the "special security reasons" were. The notice came into effect at 11:30 p.m. MST Tuesday (1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday) and was set to remain in effect until February 20.
El Paso International Airport said following the update that all flights heading to and leaving the airport, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation, would be halted, and advised travelers to "contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status."
Airlines have also been responding to the update. United Airlines issued travel waivers to travelers scheduled to depart from or arrive at the El Paso airport during the closure, allowing them to change their tickets without paying a change fee or fare difference if the new flight is scheduled between February 21 and 28.
Southwest Airlines told Newsweek that, at the FAA's direction, it "paused all operations to and from El Paso International Airport" and that it has "notified affected customers and will share additional information as it becomes available."
The airline's comment was received by Newsweek moments before the White House gave its statement about reopening the airspace.
Following the update, Southwest Airlines then told Newsweek that, with the lifting of restrictions, "Southwest is resuming operations to and from El Paso International Airport."
The airline said that it was "getting everything prepared to get the day going" at El Paso International Airport, and that "the residual effects should be minimal."
"Our travel advisory for customers remains active and we encourage customers to confirm their flight's status on Southwest.com or the Southwest app," the airline added.
United Airlines confirmed to Newsweek it did not cancel any flights.
What People Are Saying
The FAA's notice read: “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 added: "The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne acft, if it is determined that the acft poses an imminent security threat.”
El Paso International Airport said in its travel advisory: "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). Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information."
Update 2/11/26, 10:02 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, and additional information.
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