JUST IN: Cartel Drone Breach of US Airspace Responsible for Closure of El Paso, TX Airspace
Federal authorities reopened the airspace over El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning after a temporary closure that had not initially been explained.
According to an administration official who spoke with The Gateway Pundit, drones allegedly operated by Mexican cartels entered U.S. airspace near El Paso.
“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official said. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”
The official confirmed that the drone activity prompted the closure of El Paso’s airspace. Flights resumed Wednesday morning after the Federal Aviation Administration determined conditions were safe. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also stated that the threat had been “neutralized” through coordination between the FAA and the Department of War.
The situation followed an FAA decision late Tuesday to close airspace within a 10-nautical-mile radius of the airport for what it described as “special security reasons.” The restriction was set to last 10 days.
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.
The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.
The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming. https://t.co/xQA1cMy7l0
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026
In a social media statement, the airport said, “All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation.” The FAA issued a formal flight restriction halting all air traffic to and from El Paso from February 10 at 11:30 p.m. MST through February 20 at 11:30 p.m. MST.
The New York Post reported that neither the FAA nor airport officials initially provided an explanation for the rare shutdown, which observers noted had not occurred locally in nearly 25 years.
“We’ve never seen anything like this here, at least since 9/11 when everything was grounded,” Robert Moore, founder of El Paso Matters, told CNN.
Some passengers reported that airlines were not immediately informed of the closure, and that even medical evacuation flights were unable to operate.
“American Airlines wasn’t even notified,” said Noah Velazquez, who had planned to travel to New York, in comments to USA Today.
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