US authorities suddenly closed the surrounding airspace El Paso An international airport in Texas has closed the skies for all flights in the region along the Mexican border for 10 days for “special security reasons.”
Posted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Temporary Flight Restriction” notice On its website late Tuesday, it said the 10-nautical-mile circle up to 18,000 feet is off-limits for all commercial, cargo and general aviation flights.
“No pilot may operate an aircraft in covered areas,” the FAA said. The closure will continue till February 20.
It did not provide an explanation for the highly unusual move, but said it would not affect Mexican airspace.
The restrictions came so suddenly that the FAA gave only three hours’ notice, revealing radio communications from El Paso International Airport telling the dumbfounded pilot of a passenger plane they would not be able to take off the next day.
An air traffic controller is heard asking the incoming Southwest flight if it plans to take off again. “Yeah, we’ll go to the hotel,” the pilot can be heard saying.
“Roger,” replied the controller. “Be advised that there is a [temporary flight restriction] Effective at 0630 for the next 10 days.”
“So the airport is completely closed?” the pilot asks with a smile, to which the controller responds: “Apparently, we got the information 30 minutes to an hour ago.”
Temporary flight restrictions are issued for natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes, as well as major sporting events and emergency or national security situations.
The airport said on its Facebook page that all flights to and from the airport will be grounded and travelers should contact their airlines to get the most up-to-date flight status information.
The airspace closure will have a significant impact on the city of about 700,000 people, which neighbors Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Nearly 3.5 million passengers passed through the El Paso airport last year, with many nonstop flights throughout the US. Photos taken early Wednesday morning showed the airport hall almost deserted. Employees told local media that they did not know what prompted the grounding of all flights.
