February 11, 2026
No-fly zone, all hot takes
FAA Halts All Flights at El Paso Airport for 10 Days
Internet meltdown as FAA freezes—then unfreezes—El Paso flights; blame a drone test
TLDR: The FAA briefly froze El Paso’s airspace overnight, then lifted it, saying a military counter-drone test posed no danger. Commenters swung between panic, conspiracies, and jokes—some claiming it echoed post‑9/11 restrictions—while locals demanded transparency after airlines and officials were blindsided by the sudden, confusing shutdown.
In the dead of night, the FAA slapped a 10‑day no‑fly order on El Paso, citing “special security reasons,” and chaos exploded online. Travelers woke to locked gates and airlines saying “your flight is fine,” while locals shared CNN posts claiming the entire airspace was closed. City officials were just as stunned; one rep admitted he’d “never heard” of a shutdown like this. Reddit’s plane‑tracking crowd lit up a thread with maps and a city councilmember promising answers, while commenters argued whether this was overkill or a necessary security step.
Then—plot twist—the FAA lifted the closure hours later, saying there’s “no threat to commercial aviation” and pointing to a counter‑drone tech test at Fort Bliss. Cue the hot‑take showdown: skeptics saw “special military operation” vibes, alarmists compared it to post‑9/11 restrictions, and jokesters ran wild with “invasion of Canada and Greenland” memes. The big gripe? Zero transparency and whiplash messaging: a 10‑mile restriction under 18,000 feet dropped with almost no warning, then reversed. Now the mood is half outrage, half comedy—think “America’s shortest 10‑day ban,” “FAA speedrun,” and a chorus demanding clear explanations the next time someone hits the giant NO FLY button.
Key Points
- •The FAA briefly halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport late Tuesday, citing “special security reasons,” then lifted the closure Wednesday morning.
- •A person briefed on the situation linked the brief shutdown to military testing of new counter-drone technology at Fort Bliss.
- •FAA notices indicated the restriction covered a 10-mile radius around El Paso, including Santa Teresa, NM, and did not apply above 18,000 feet.
- •The airport issued a travel advisory grounding commercial, cargo, and general aviation and told travelers to contact their airlines.
- •Local officials said they were not informed of details; the FAA stated there was no threat to commercial aviation and normal flights would resume.