EL PASO — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly suspended all flights to and from El Paso International Airport (ELP) due to security concerns before lifting the restriction hours later and allowing operations to resume.
The order initially halted commercial, cargo, and private flights and was later extended to nearby airspace, including parts of southern New Mexico. The restriction was originally set to remain in place until Feb. 21. It did not apply to aircraft flying below 18,000 feet, allowing planes to transit over the restricted area.
Airlines were instructed to adjust schedules, cancel flights, or reroute aircraft during the suspension. Operations have since resumed following the FAA’s decision to lift the temporary ban.
Drone Activity Linked to Flight Ban
According to sources speaking to Reuters, the temporary grounding may be linked to the use of counter-drone technology by U.S. defense authorities after drones operated by Mexican drug cartels reportedly entered U.S. airspace.
A U.S. official told Reuters that military authorities took action to disable the drones and later coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), concluding that there was no threat to commercial travel.
Airport personnel and air traffic controllers implemented procedures to comply with the directive during the suspension. The FAA has not provided detailed public information about the security concerns, but confirmed that the airspace has now reopened.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, tracked developments at ELP. This is an initial data pull:
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