The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas, citing “special security reasons” without offering further details.
The airport, located next to the U.S. military’s Biggs Army Airfield and directly across the border from Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez, confirmed in an Instagram post that all operations had been grounded following the sudden directive.
El Paso airport said the restrictions had been issued “on short notice” and it was waiting for additional guidance from the FAA, according to The New York Times.
Flights were also barred from the airspace over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in the U.S. state of New Mexico, the FAA said.
Restrictions would be in place until February 21 and covered a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the airport, not including Mexican airspace, the agency added.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for details about the security reasons.
The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. Major U.S. airlines including Southwest LUV.N, Delta DAL.N, United UAL.O and American AAL.O fly there.
(With Reuters Inputs)
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
