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Overnight, the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) has issued a temporary flight restriction preventing commercial aircraft and those involved in general aviation from using the airspace in and around the Texan city of El Paso, as well as neighboring Santa Teresa in New Mexico. The flight ban is set to last 10 days, and will likely bring considerable operational disruption to an airport that handles more than four million passengers every year.
The FAA has reportedly cited security concerns for the sudden and lengthy closure, warning that the US Government may use deadly force against aircraft that do not adhere to the restriction. Impacted passengers are being encouraged to contact their airlines as one of the largest cities in the US comes to terms with the closure. Thus far, online trackers are not registering flight cancellations, but these will surely rise in due course.
Closed For 10 Days
As reported by local publications such as El Paso Matters and the El Paso Times, the sudden temporary airspace restriction came into effect at 11:30 pm Mountain Time on February 10 (1:30 am EST on February 11), and will last for exactly 10 days until late on February 20 (local time). El Paso Matters notes that the city is the 23rd-largest in the US, and that, as a result, considerable disruption to commercial aviation operations is expected.
As it stands, tracking data made available by Flight Aware only shows El Paso International Airport (ELP) as having one cancelled arrival and one cancelled departure today. However, with the restriction in force for over a week and not seeming to have any exceptions, it will likely only be a matter of time before these numbers rise sharply. The El Paso city government said that it is “pending additional guidance” from the FAA, and added:
“Airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security-related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight.”
Why Has The FAA Issued Such A Restriction?
As noted in the above statement issued, security concerns appear to have dictated the FAA’s sudden airspace closure affecting El Paso and nearby Santa Teresa. A corresponding NOTAM specifically dictates that “the FAA classifies the airspace defined in this notam as ‘National Defense Airspace.’ Pilots who do not adhere to the following procedure may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel.”
Whatever the exact reason for the closure, it is clearly something that the FAA is taking seriously, as it adds that “the US Government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat.” The restriction applies to all flights in and out of El Paso, with neither passenger services, cargo flights, nor general aviation aircraft movements able to operate to and from the airport for now.
The restriction doesn’t just concern El Paso International Airport itself, with local media noting that the airspace in question also covers part of nearby New Mexico. This includes an area near Santa Teresa, although not the airport serving this suburb. However, that particular facility, which is also known as Doña Ana County International Jetport, does not presently handle any commercial flights, so it is of no use to airline passengers in El Paso.
Southwest Airlines Randomly Schedules Nonstop Flights Between Nashville & El Paso For 1 Day Only
The flight is scheduled for November 30, the last day of Thanksgiving weekend, when travel demand is expected to surge.
Which Airlines Fly To & From El Paso?
El Paso is a busy airport, with data from the facility showing that it handled more than four million passengers in 2024. Southwest Airlines is its largest carrier, with current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, showing that the blue-clad low-cost giant accounts for 592 of the 1,314 flights (45%) that were scheduled to depart from El Paso this month. Dallas Love Field (DAL) is its top destination.
Elsewhere, all of the ‘big three’ US legacy carriers have a presence in El Paso, with American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines having respectively pencilled in 368, 223, and 56 departures from the Texan facility this month. American’s flights are entirely operated by its regional partners, while Delta only uses mainline jets, and United opts for a mix. Frontier (50) and Alaska (25) round out the airport’s list of departing airlines.
