Travel

Without explanation, FAA closes El Paso and New Mexico airspace for 10 days, cites national defense

by Robert Moore, El Paso Matters
February 11, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration issued unexplained notices late Tuesday closing airspace over El Paso and a large patch of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa for 10 days. El Paso International Airport is closed to all flights, the city said.

The orders close off all air travel in the affected area, which could 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 MAY 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 Tuesday, and expire at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 20.

The El Paso city government issued an advisory early Wednesday that flights at El Paso International Airport are canceled.

“The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso and our neighboring community, Santa Teresa, NM. The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations (including commercial, cargo and general aviation) and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST),” the city said in a news release.

“Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status.”

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.

The notices include a phone number at the FAA’s Special Operations Support Center to call for more information. A man identifying himself as Eric spoke briefly to El Paso Matters late Tuesday and said he couldn’t explain the reason for the notices.

“Not really, not because I won't, it's because I don't know. I mean, this is just the office that publishes. So we're handed the sheets and they say go with it,” Eric said.

The restricted airspace covers most of El Paso County, but doesn’t include Mexican airspace, according to information provided by the FAA.

It also includes a large area of southern New Mexico west of San Teresa, but not the airport in the suburb west of El Paso. The restricted New Mexico airspace goes from the Mexican border on the south to the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument to the north.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Summer travel season is in full swing. Let’s take a moment to discuss a serious federal crime I hope you never have to encounter, sexual assault on an airplane.

Compared to the tens of millions of U.S. citizens who fly each year, the number of in-flight sexual assault victims is relatively small, but even one victim is unacceptable. We are seeing more reports of in-flight sexual assault than ever before. This may be an underreported crime category, which is one reason we are hoping to draw added attention and encourage victims and witnesses to contact the FBI.

Unfortunately, people don’t think things like this happen on airplanes. There is a perception on an airplane that you’re in a bubble of safety. But particularly on overnight flights, where people may consume alcohol or take sleeping pills, and a dark cabin and close-quarter seating can give the perception of privacy and intimacy, offenders are tempted by opportunity.

Sexual assault aboard aircraft—which usually takes the form of unwanted touching—is a felony that can land offenders in prison. Typically, men are the perpetrators, and women and unaccompanied minors are the victims. The victims are usually in middle or window seats, sleeping, and covered with a blanket or jacket. They report waking up to their seatmate’s hands inside their clothing or underwear.

Many people don’t know, but any aircraft in flight from the moment the doors are closed until the time the doors are opened in the United States, falls under federal jurisdiction and the FBI will investigate federal crimes committed on that flight. The FBI’s airport liaison agents across the U.S. work with local and airport law enforcement when crimes are reported aboard aircraft.

Although aggravated sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, or abusive sexual contact may be State charges, once the location of the aircraft is introduced, it becomes a federal crime.

Flyers need to be aware of their surroundings and take a few simple precautions to stay safe. Among suggested precautions:

Trust your gut. Offenders will often test their victims, sometimes pretending to brush against them to see how they react or if they wake up. “Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt,” Gates said. If such behavior occurs, reprimand the person immediately, and consider asking to be moved to another seat.
Recognize that mixing alcohol with sleeping pills or other medication on an overnight flight increases your risk. “Don’t knock yourself out with alcohol or drugs,” Gates said.
If your seatmate is a stranger, no matter how polite he or she may seem, keep the armrest between you down.
If you are arranging for a child to fly unaccompanied, try to reserve an aisle seat so flight attendants can keep a closer watch on them. FBI has seen victims as young as 8 years old.
If an incident happens, report it immediately to the flight crew and ask that they record the attacker’s identity and report the incident. Flight attendants and captains represent authority on the plane. They can alert law enforcement, and they can sometimes deal with the problem in the air. The flight crew can also put the offender on notice, which might prevent further problems.

If you think you are a victim or you have witnessed an incident, report the incident to your flight crew and contact the FBI. Try to take note of what has happened to better inform the responding agent or officer at the airport upon landing.

It doesn’t matter when you report an in-flight sexual assault—we take it seriously, and we will pursue it. But after the fact, these cases are much more difficult to prove. Report it immediately.

We want you to have a safe travel experience. There are all sorts of people in the air, just like on the ground.

Jeffrey R. Downey

Special Agent in Charge, FBI El Paso

SAC FBI EL PASO

With El Paso so close to the Mexican border and Mexico in the throws of revolutionary struggle during the early 1900s, southwest Texas became a key focus of the Bureau soon after its founding in 1908. As the FBI heads into its second century, the El Paso Division remains committed to protecting the people and defending the nation while upholding the rule of law and the civil liberties of all.