JUST IN: Cartel Drone Breach of US Airspace Responsible for Closure of El Paso, TX Airspace – FAA Rescinds 10-Day Closure After Threat “Neutralized”

The federal government reopened the airspace over El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning following a temporary closure for previously unspecified reasons.  

“Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace,” an administration official told The Gateway Pundit.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

The official further confirmed that the drones were responsible for the closure of El Paso airport, which resumed flights this morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) February 11, 2026

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy further confirmed that the threat was “neutralized” by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War.

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

This comes after the FAA closed the airspace with a 10 nautical mile radius late on Tuesday for the next 10 days, citing “special security reasons.”

The airport also said in a social media post, “All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation.”

The FAA has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST),” the post continued.

The New York Post initially reported the following on the airspace closure:

Neither the FAA nor the airport gave a reason for the type of shutdown not seen in nearly 25 years.

“We’ve never seen anything like this here at least since 9/11 when everything was grounded,” Robert Moore, the founder of local El Paso Matters, told CNN.

Passengers have claimed airlines were not even informed about the airspace closure, and not even Medevac planes are allowed to fly.

“American Airlines wasn’t even notified,” Noah Velazquez, who was supposed to head to New York, told USA Today.