FAA Ends ‘Unprecedented’ El Paso Air Travel Restrictions

The FAA had announced it would shut down the El Paso airport and surrounding airspace for 10 days, with limited explanation.

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A sign at the El Paso International Airport (ELP), Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in El Paso, Tex. Kirby Lee/AP

The Federal Aviation Administration has ended air travel restrictions around El Paso, Texas, just hours after announcing a sudden and largely unexplained 10-day shutdown of most of the airspace near the city’s international airport.

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA posted on X Wednesday morning. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

The shutdown had baffled lawmakers from the area.