FAA reverses airspace closure
The FAA has issued an update on social media advising that the airspace closure has been lifted. This was around eight hours after the original NOTAM was issued.
“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,” said the FAA on X, formally known as Twitter.
According to the New York Times, a source with knowledge of the matter said that the shutdown was due to a test of new counter-drone technology by the military at Fort Bliss.
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 FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) February 11, 2026
All flights in and out of El Paso International Airport (ELP), Texas, have been cancelled for 10 days by the Federal Aviation Administration over “special security concerns”.
A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued by the FAA on February 11, 2025, at 23:30, local time, introducing flight restrictions around the airport for 10 miles until February 21, 2026.
“The Federal Aviation Administration classifies the airspace defined in this NOTAM as ‘HTL Defense Airspace’. Pilots who do not adhere to the following proc may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel. The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat,” the NOTAM read.
No reason was given for the airspace and airport closure other than the FAA, citing special security concerns.
El Paso International Airport issued its own statement confirming that aircraft will be grounded at the airport for the following 10 days.
“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),” said an airport spokesperson.
The spokesperson added: “Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information.”
It is understood that the airspace over a major US city has not been closed since the 9/11 terrorist attack unfolded in New York on September 11, 2026.
“All air traffic has been halted in a 10 nautical mile range around the airport, so encompassing El Paso and Fort Bliss, from the ground to 17,000 feet. So, no aircraft in or out, regardless of what they are, whether it’s air carriers, military, medevac helicopters, law enforcement. Nobody can fly as this thing is written up,” an undisclosed source told website El Paso Matters.
UPDATE (11/02 at 13:54 UTC): The FAA has issued an update on social media advising that the airspace closure has been lifted. This was around eight hours after the original NOTAM was issued.
“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,” said the FAA on X, formally known as Twitter.
According to the New York Times, a source with knowledge of the matter said that the shutdown was due to a test of new counter-drone technology by the military at Fort Bliss.