Airspace over El Paso International Airport was back open Wednesday morning, just hours after federal officials abruptly announced a 10-day shutdown that would have halted all flights in and out of the West Texas hub.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a social media post that it lifted the temporary closure, adding there was no threat to commercial aviation and that normal operations would resume.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the FAA and the Defense Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
He confirmed flights were resuming Wednesday morning but did not specify how many drones were involved or how authorities disabled them.
The reversal came after the FAA announced late Tuesday that it would close the airspace “for special security reasons” through Feb. 20. The move would have grounded commercial, cargo and general aviation flights, triggering major disruptions in a metro area of nearly 700,000 residents and a critical corridor for cross-border trade.
El Paso sits along the U.S.-Mexico border and serves as a key gateway to West Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico, including neighboring Ciudad Juarez. The temporary restriction did not extend into Mexican airspace.
The airport had warned travelers in an Instagram post that all flights would be grounded and urged passengers to contact airlines for updates. Within hours, those plans were scrapped.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, whose district includes El Paso, criticized the initial decision and said there was no advance notice to her office, city officials or airport operators.
“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.”
Airlines quickly adjusted to the shifting directives. Southwest Airlines said it paused all operations to and from El Paso at the FAA’s direction.
“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.”
Southwest, along with United, American and Delta, operates regular service through El Paso.
A similar temporary flight restriction was also imposed around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 15 miles northwest of the airport, during the same time period.
Federal officials have not released further details about the alleged cartel drone activity or whether any suspects have been identified. For now, commercial flights are back in the air, but questions remain about how close the region came to a prolonged aviation shutdown.
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