Federal Aviation Administration Airspace around El Paso International Airport reopens in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after announcing a 10-day closure that would have halted all flights to and from the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced in a social media post that it had lifted the temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and all flights would resume.
The closure was expected to cause major disruptions given the duration and size of the metropolitan area. el paso, Border city It has a population of approximately 700,000 and more when the surrounding metro area is included, and is a center for cross-border trade along with the neighboring city of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
Here’s the latest:
Transport Minister Sean Duffy said in a post on the social media platform
He said that normal flights were resuming.
Many Mexican maquila factories — factories that produce goods for mostly American consumers — said their businesses depend on the El Paso airport to ship their products, explained Thor Salayandia, president of the Mexican Border Business Association.
Salayandia, president of his family’s auto parts manufacturing business, added that Mexican authorities should consider strengthening its airport in Juarez so as not to depend on the whims of its northern neighbour, coming on top of calls for greater economic independence in the wake of Trump’s tariff threats.
He added: “Nothing like this has ever happened in the region.” “There’s a lot of confusion.”
A Trump administration official said the airspace over El Paso was closed after Mexican cartel drones breached the airspace, but said the Defense Department had taken action to disable the drones.
The FAA and Department of Defense have determined there is no threat to commercial travel, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a national security issue.
The official did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
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Associated Press journalist Darlene Superville contributed to this report from Washington.
the Federal Aviation Administration The American airline reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning, just hours after announcing a 10-day closure that would have led to the suspension of all flights to and from the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a social media post that it had lifted the temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and that all flights would resume.
The closure, announced a few hours earlier “for special security reasons”, was expected to cause major disruptions given the duration and size of the urban area.
Local news broadcasts showed travelers with their luggage lining up at ticket offices and car rental offices hours after flights grounded in El Paso.
The lockdown has left stranded travelers with few options nearby. The nearest major airport in the United States is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 270 miles (434.5 kilometers) away.
Ciudad Juarez is home to about 1.5 million people. Like many cross-border communities, some residents are accustomed to using facilities such as airports on both sides of the border, depending on where they are traveling.
The city has expanded in size in recent decades as free trade agreements have spurred a boom in assembly plants that offer less expensive labor and the advantage of easier access to the American market. Nearly 97% of goods produced in Juárez factories go to the United States, according to the Mexican Ministry of Economy.
Easy access to the United States has also made Juárez, like other border cities, attractive to Mexican drug cartels seeking to control it in order to protect drug trafficking routes, migrants heading north, and money and weapons coming south.
When asked if the ban was related to US military operations, the Pentagon referred comment to the Federal Aviation Administration in an email.
Southwest Airlines said in the statement that it has temporarily suspended all operations to and from El Paso at the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We have notified affected customers and will share additional information when it becomes available,” Southwest Airlines said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. She said no advance notice was given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations.
“The FAA’s momentous decision to close El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has generated significant concern within the community,” Escobar said. “From what my office and I were able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”
Similar temporary flight restrictions were imposed for private security reasons during the same time period around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, halting all flights to and from the airport.
A notice posted on the Federal Aviation Administration’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 a post on Instagram that all flights to and from the airport will be suspended from late Tuesday until late February 20, including commercial flights, cargo flights and general aviation. She suggested travelers contact their airlines for the latest flight information.
The closure is likely to cause significant disruption given the duration and size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of approximately 700,000 and more when you include the surrounding metro area, is a center of cross-border trade along with 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.