El Paso Airport Shutdown for 10 Days

Update: The airport is now back open after just a few hours, not 10 days. Apparently they shut down for a “Mexican cartel drone incursion.” However, other government officials are saying it was for testing of counter drone technology. Who knows.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced it is halting all flights to and from El Paso, TX for 10 days for “special security reasons” with no explanation. Overnight they announced the closure and said the restrictions covered a roughly 11 mile radius surrounding ELP El Paso International Airport.

They also issued a NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen which also limits flights to altitudes below 18,000 feet.

ELP handles around 3 million passengers per month so this is a significant closure and will certainly impact a lot of passengers as well as cargo into and out of the region. The closest alternative airport seems to be Albuquerque ABQ which is 265 miles away.

ELP El Paso International Airport

In another notice, the FAA restricted flights for the same ten days and for the same mysterious reason in an area near Santa Teresa, NM which ias around 20 miles west of El Paso. These restrictions apply to commercial, cargo, and general aviation.

“No one from the local government or the local military base received any advanced notice more than a few minutes, nor did the mayor,” said El Paso City Rep. Chris Canales. “We have never seen something quite this extreme.

What Could Be Going On?

I think we can all speculate what is happening this close to the Mexican border. Ft. Bliss, a major army base is only a few miles west of ELP.

This is a developing story