El Paso International Airport Temporarily Closes Due to Special Security Reasons

All flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas have come to a halt for “special security reasons,” as stated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) early Wednesday morning. The FAA issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding the airspace, noting “temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons.” As of now, no pilots are permitted to operate any aircraft in the affected areas.

The airspace restriction encompasses El Paso and the neighboring Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and began at 6:30 a.m. UTC (11:30 p.m. ET). This restriction is scheduled to end on February 21 at the same time. The FAA did not provide details on why El Paso, which shares a border with Mexico and is ranked as the 23rd most populous city in the U.S. according to the 2020 census, is affected. However, the NOTAM specified that the airspace is designated as national defense airspace, and stated that deadly force could be used against an aircraft deemed to pose an imminent security threat. Furthermore, it indicated that pilots could be intercepted or detained by law enforcement and security personnel if necessary.

An FAA spokesperson informed NBC News that they could not provide further details beyond the information already stated in the NOTAM. Meanwhile, El Paso International Airport has yet to release a comment on the matter. It is important to note that this restriction does not extend to Juárez and other Mexican airspace.

In a social media travel advisory, the airport stated that all flights, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation, have been grounded. “Travelers should contact their airlines for the most up-to-date flight status information,” it advised. El Paso International Airport hosts several major U.S. airlines, such as Southwest, Delta, United, and American.

According to Flightradar24, the last flight to touch down at El Paso International was an American Airlines flight from Chicago, which landed at 10:57 p.m. local time on Tuesday, just before the airspace closure. A private plane from Everett, WA, was rerouted to an airport in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the closest U.S. city, scheduled to land at 1:13 a.m.

City Councilmember Chris Canales expressed on Facebook that he was trying to gather more information about the closure. “We have no reason to believe that there is any kind of imminent safety threat to El Paso,” he wrote. “We still have no reason provided by the FAA or any federal authority, and that lack of explanation is obviously fueling fear and speculation in our community.” Furthermore, he noted that the sudden closure could economically impact the city by an estimated $40-50 million or more if prolonged for ten days.

Canales also mentioned on Reddit that neither civilian nor military leadership received prior notification of the NOTAM. “The Army is fretting about their flights tomorrow just as much as everyone else,” he noted. Adding to the confusion, conversations recorded by LiveATC.net suggested that even airport staff were caught off guard by the NOTAM just an hour before it went into effect.

A conversation between an air traffic controller at El Paso International and a member aboard a Southwest Airlines flight captured the surprise of the announcement. The air traffic controller informed the flight that there was a temporary flight restriction starting at 6:30 a.m. and continuing for the next ten days. The person aboard the flight, SWA WN1249, seemed taken aback and asked for confirmation that the airport would be closing entirely.

“Apparently. We just got informed about 30 minutes to an hour ago,” the air traffic controller replied.

This account of the events reflects contributions from Henry Austin, a senior editor for NBC News Digital in London, as well as Jay Blackman, Christiana Corporon, Caroline Radnofsky, and Sara Mhaidli.