EL PASO, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport for 10 days.
On its website, the agency cited unspecified “special security reasons” as the reason for the closure. The restrictions include all commercial, cargo and general aviation flights, KTSM reported.
United issues travel waivers
Update 8:41 a.m.ET Feb. 11: United Airlines announced that it was issuing travel waivers to customers impacted by the closure at El Paso International Airport, The New York Times reported.
Those travelers can change their tickets without paying a change fee or fare difference if the new flight is scheduled between Feb. 21 and Feb. 28, United said.
Original report: According to a notice posted by the FAA, the restriction went into effect at 11:30 p.m. MT local time on Tuesday and will continue through Feb. 20 at 11:30 p.m. MT for the airspace over El Paso and the neighboring community Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
The airport, in posts on its social media platforms, issued a travel advisory about the grounded flights. Officials said the restriction had been issued “on short notice” and were waiting for more guidance from the FAA.
The closure does not include Mexican airspace, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s a complete ground stop … not even medevac are allowed to fly,” an air-traffic controller was heard telling flight crews, according to CNN.
“Wow,” a flight crew responds in flight control audio recorded by LiveATC.net, CNN reported.
A statement from the City of El Paso said that “commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction,” KVIA reported. Officials said that travelers should contact their airlines for more information.
In its notice, the FAA said the federal government “may use deadly force” if an aircraft violating the airspace is believed to pose “an imminent security threat,” The New York Times reported.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who represents San Antonio, said he did not know what was going on.
“Sorry, I don’t have some clear answer,” Castro told the Times early Wednesday. He added that the ground stops were surprising.
State Rep. Vincent Perez, who represents the El Paso area, said he had no information about the restriction.
”I have never heard of an American airspace being shut down for 10 days, absent a major emergency,” Perez told the newspaper.
The closest airports to El Paso are Albuquerque International Sunport, a four-hour drive; and Tucson International Airport, which is about five hours away, CNN reported.
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