All flights in and out of an international airport in Texas have been mysteriously suspended for 10 days over an unspecified security concern.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the airspace over El Paso International Airport would be closed, canceling all commercial flights, cargo operations, and general aviation.
It also said that pilots who stray into the airspace could have their flight certifications suspended and that the U.S. government “may use deadly force” if an aircraft poses an “imminent security threat,” CNN reports.
The airspace over the nearby Santa Teresa neighborhood in New Mexico has also been closed, with pilots notified that the wider area has been classified as “national defense airspace.”
Closing the airspace over a major urban area for an extended period for an unspecified reason is highly unusual in the U.S. The blackout zone spans a 10-mile radius and reaches up to 18,000 feet.
The FAA notice cited unspecified “special security reasons” for the unprecedented closure, which took effect at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday and is due to remain in place until Feb. 20.
The airport said it was awaiting next steps from the FAA, The New York Times reports, and that the cancellation had come “on short notice.”
It issued a travel advisory notice, informing passengers with tickets booked during that period that their flights have been grounded and instructing them to contact their airlines for more information.
The move appears to have taken state and local officials by surprise, according to the Times. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who represents the state’s 20th Congressional District in San Antonio, told the newspaper, “Sorry, I don’t have some clear answer,” when asked about the closures, saying it had taken him by surprise.
Texas state Rep. Vincent Perez told the same outlet, “I don’t have any information on that.”
“I have never heard of an American airspace being shut down for 10 days, absent a major emergency.”
In a post on Reddit, El Paso City Representative Chris Canales added, “Nobody local got advance notice—neither civilian nor military leadership.”
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat who represents the state’s 16th Congressional District, which includes El Paso, said her office had been informed there was no immediate danger for the city.
“The highly consequential decision by the FAA to shut down the El Paso airport for 10 days is unprecedented and resulted in significant concern in the community. From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas,” she said.
“We have urged the FAA to lift the temporary flight restrictions placed on the El Paso area. I will continue to make information public as I learn it.”
In a statement on Facebook, the El Paso International Airport said, “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.” It added, “Travelers should contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information.”
Speaking to the Times, Alex Torres, 42, said she had been planning to fly to New York with American Airlines, but didn’t find out about the grounding until she arrived in El Paso.
“They didn’t know anything about the airport being closed,” she said.
More than 1,000 flights could be affected, according to aviation data from Cirium, as reported by the Times.
The El Paso city government said in a statement via local news site El Paso Matters, “The FAA, on short notice, issued a temporary flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso and our neighboring community, Santa Teresa, NM. The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST).
“Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, the FAA, and local authorities for more information.
