EL Paso International Airport airspace closed, Southwest, United, American, Delta airlines flights grounded. Here's why. Is Mexico airspace closed?

Airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas has been closed by he Federal Aviation Administration for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport. The shutdown is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta all operate flights there, among others.

The airport ​handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. Major U.S. airlines including Southwest, Delta, United and American fly there.

A notice posted on the FAA's website said the temporary flight restrictions were for “special security reasons,” but did not provide additional details. The closure does not include Mexican airspace.


The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on February 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.

EL Paso Airspace Closed

Flights were also barred from the airspace over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in the U.S. state of New Mexico, the FAA said. Restrictions would be in ‌place until February 21 and covered a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the ​airport, not including ​Mexican airspace, ⁠the agency added.

The flight restrictions are in effect from 11:30 pm on Tuesday (0630 GMT Wednesday) until February 20 for the airspace over El Paso and an area in neighboring New Mexico's south, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas" covered by the restrictions, the FAA said in a notice, citing "special security reasons" without elaborating.

El Paso International Airport, which is served by major US airlines like Delta, American and United, encouraged travelers to "contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information."

In a separate statement to the New York Times, it said that the restrictions had been issued "on short notice" and that it was waiting for guidance from the FAA.