U.S. Halts Flights at Airport Near Mexico Border for "Security Reasons"

The United States has halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas for “special security reasons,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said without providing further details, Akanksha Khushi and Shubham Kalia reported for Reuters.

El Paso airport said the restrictions were issued “on short notice” and that it was waiting for additional guidance from the FAA. (Photo: El Paso International Airport)

The airport, which is adjacent to Biggs Army Airfield and sits across the border from the Mexican city of Juárez, said all flights had been grounded.

El Paso 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. Flights were also barred from the airspace over the nearby community of Santa Teresa in the US state of New Mexico, the FAA added.

The restrictions will remain in place until Feb. 21 and cover a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the airport, excluding Mexican airspace.

The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, according to its website. Major US airlines, including Southwest, Delta, United, and American, operate there.