The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly lifted a temporary flight restriction over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, hours after announcing a 10-day closure of the city’s airspace. The initial order, implemented without prior notice, grounded all flights to and from El Paso International Airport.
The FAA had stated the restriction, covering airspace over El Paso and parts of southern New Mexico, was due to “special security reasons,” but provided no further details. The sudden closure would have significantly disrupted air travel for a region serving western Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico, impacting a city of approximately 700,000 people.
The reversal came after what sources described as a dispute between the Pentagon and the FAA regarding the use of lasers to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated by Mexican cartels. According to reporting from the Associated Press, the airspace closure was prompted by concerns over these cartel drones.
Robert Moore, founder of a local news platform in El Paso, described the airspace closure as unprecedented in recent history. “We haven’t seen anything like this here since 9/11,” he said, highlighting the potential for significant disruption to the industrial city.
The FAA’s initial announcement affected flights operated by commercial airlines serving El Paso. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines for updated flight information. El Paso International Airport served over 3.5 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, making it a crucial transportation hub for the region.
A Trump administration official stated the Defense Department had disabled Mexican cartel drones, contributing to the FAA’s decision to lift the restriction. The FAA has not released further information regarding the specific nature of the threat or the measures taken to address it.
