The flight restrictions are in effect until February 20 for the airspace over El Paso and an area in neighbouring New Mexico’s south, according to the FAA
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport.
“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas” covered by the restrictions, the FAA said in a notice, citing “special security reasons” without elaborating.
The closure does not include Mexican airspace.
The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on February 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travellers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.
The shutdown is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighbouring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
