Airspace closure lifted: Why had the FAA grounded all flights to and from El Paso International Airport?

The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has rescinded a temporary ban on flights to and from El Paso International Airport in El Paso, Texas - just hours after issuing the suspension.

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA said at shortly before 9:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

Why did the FAA issue the brief El Paso flight ban?

Earlier on Wednesday, the FAA had closed airspace around El Paso Airport (ELP) for the next week and a half, citing “special security reasons”.

In its announcement of the flight ban, the FAA offered no further explanation for the sudden restrictions. However, CNN’s Pete Muntean has reported that the move was motivated by concern over military operations at the nearby Biggs Army Airfield, at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss base.

Citing a source briefed by the FAA, Muntean says the agency shut down ELP’s airspace as the U.S.’s Department of Defense “could not assure civilian flight safety”. Muntean later added that the activity that prompted the FAA ban related to “unmanned aircraft operations and laser countermeasure testing”.

Biggs Army Airfield is located around six miles from ELP.

How long was the flight ban due to last? How long did it actually last?

The FAA’s El Paso suspension lasted for around eight and half hours in total, having come into effect at 1:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. It had been due to run for 10 days, until 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Airspace around ELP was closed within a radius of 10 nautical miles, extending from the ground to an altitude of 17,999 feet. “No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM [notice to airmen],” the FAA said.

Texas’s sixth-largest city, with nearly 700,000 inhabitants, El Paso sits on the southern U.S. border with Mexico, next to the Mexican city Juárez. The FAA said its airspace restrictions, which also affected a southern area of the U.S. state of New Mexico, did not include Mexican airspace.

“Gateway to West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico”

Located around seven miles from downtown El Paso, ELP typically caters for between three and four million passengers each year. Airlines such as American, Southwest, United and Delta operate flights to and from the facility, which describes itself as “the gateway to West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico”.

A little over 1,000 incoming and outbound flights were due to be affected by a 10-day FAA suspension.

According to the aviation industry-tracker Flight Aware, 14 flights travelling to or from ELP have been cancelled on Wednesday, with a further nine services listed as having being delayed.

In a statement issued after the FAA rescinded its flight ban, ELP said on social media: “El Paso International Airport operations have reopened following the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to lift the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso.

“Travelers are encouraged to contact their respective airlines directly for the most up-to-date flight information as carriers work to restore service.

“TSA [Transportation Security Administration] screening operations have resumed. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation as we return to full operations.”

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