Updated Feb. 11, 2026, 1:46 p.m. ET
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ban on most flights around El Paso, Texas, early Wednesday, Feb. 11. The agency had instituted the ban late Tuesday effectively shutting down operations at the city’s airport.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post that the closure, which initially had been expected to last into Feb. 21, was ordered because of a drone incursion into U.S. airspace near the airport.
“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region,” the post said. “The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
In its initial notice about the closure, the agency cited “special security reasons” as the catalyst for the closure, but did not provide further information.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the exact reason for the airspace closure remained unclear.
While Duffy’s post suggested it was the result of criminal foreign drone activity, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a Feb. 11 news conference that there was no information about drones on the border.
Citing unnamed sources, CBS News reported that the closure was related to Pentagon drone testing, not an active military operation.
A social media post from the El Paso airport acknowledged the closure.
“All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo and general aviation. The FAA has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST). Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information,” the post said.
Which airlines fly to El Paso?
The airport is served by:
- Alaska Airlines.
- American Airlines and American Eagle.
- Delta Air Lines.
- Frontier Airlines.
- Southwest Airlines.
- United Airlines and United Express.
Those airlines were scheduled to operate a total of 43 departures from the airport on Feb. 11, all of which were likely to be canceled, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Cirium’s data shows that those flights could carry more than 5,900 passengers total.
With 19 flights, Southwest had the most scheduled departures at El Paso on Feb. 11, followed by American with 12 scheduled departures, according to Cirium.
Are there waivers for affected passengers?
United and Southwest issued travel waivers to offer affected passengers extra flexibility in rebooking their flights.
The restriction covered a 10‑mile area around El Paso and applied to all airspace from the ground up to nearly 18,000 feet. Under the restriction, aircraft were not allowed to fly in the area unless they received specific authorization from federal officials. It did not affect nearby Mexican airspace.
Robert W. Mann Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of R.W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy, said the move was “unprecedented. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
What to do if your flight was affected by the closure
Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines for the latest flight status and rebooking information.
If your flight was affected by the airport closure, you’re entitled to a full refund if you choose not to travel. Airlines will likely try to reaccommodate affected passengers, but El Paso is hundreds of miles from other airports with commercial service.
Among the nearest are Albuquerque, New Mexico, at least a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, and Tucson, Arizona, about a four-and-a-half-hour drive away, according to Google Maps.
Southwest Airlines acknowledged the closure in a statement to USA TODAY.
“At the direction of the FAA, Southwest has paused all operations to and from El Paso International Airport. We have notified affected Customers and will share additional information as it becomes available. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees,” the statement said.
The airline did not specify how customers were being reaccommodated. The other airlines serving El Paso did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
Planes, crews were stuck
Mann, the aviation consultant, warned that in addition to flight cancellations, airplanes and crews could have been stuck in El Paso for the duration of the closure.
“The [temporary flight restrictions] are absolute unless the carriers and operators get waivers. Presumably, if they can move the airplanes, they’re going to want to move the crews,” he said.
For both passengers and crews, El Paso’s location is a further complicating factor.
“El Paso is really remote. There’s nothing convenient that you’re going to be able to fly to as an alternate. You’re talking hours away” by car, Mann said, suggesting that airlines may have to resort to moving crews over land to get them out of the city.
This is a developing story.
Contributing: Aaron Bedoya, El Paso Times
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
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