EL PASO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 25: A sign at the El Paso International Airport (ELP) on December 25, 2025 in El Paso, Texas.
Kirby Lee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The U.S. has halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas near the border with Mexico for “special security reasons,” the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday, without giving more details.
The airport, which is next to the U.S. military’s Biggs Army Airfield and sits over the border from the Mexican city of Juarez, said all flights were grounded in a post on Instagram.
The airport said the restrictions were issued “on short notice” and that it was waiting for additional guidance from the FAA, according to The New York Times.
The FAA said the temporary restrictions would be in place until February 21 and covered a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the airport, though they did not include Mexican airspace.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for details about the “security reasons”.
The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025. Major U.S. airlines, including Southwest, Delta, United and American fly there.