FAA cancels all flights into and out of El Paso

Late Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued unexplained notices closing the airspace over El Paso International Airport (ELP/KELP) and a large area of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa for 10 days. According to the city, El Paso International Airport is shut down to all flights.

The orders close off all air travel in and out of the affected area, which will cause massive disruption in the nation’s 23rd largest city.

“THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS ‘NTL DEFENSE AIRSPACE’. PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROC WILL BE INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY PERSONNEL,” the notices said.

“THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE ACFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT,” the notice continued.

The notices, known as Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, took effect at 11:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday the 10th of February, and expire at 11:30 p.m. on Friday the 20th of February.  

Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, the few commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. 

Closing off airspace over a major U.S. city is a rare action, and officials with the Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to questions from El Paso Matters on the reasons for the action.

A person familiar with the notices, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said the action to close airspace over a major U.S. for security reasons over extended period hasn’t happened since immediately after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.