UPDATE - US aviation authority lifts El Paso, Texas airspace closure

ADDS DETAILS; ADDS CNN REPORT

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly announced Wednesday that it has rescinded its closure of the airspace over El Paso, Texas, just hours after announcing the measure and saying it would last for 10 days.

It is not clear what prompted the rapid about-face, but the FAA said there was no threat to commercial aviation.

"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 agency said on X.

The initial announcement halted all aircraft operations, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation, to and from El Paso International Airport, and the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

El Paso is a critical border town, sitting just across from the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez.

The reason for the decision to initially impose the airspace shutdown was not publicly provided, but authorities had initially cited security concerns.

CNN reported that the closure was instituted after drones operated by a Mexican cartel breached US airspace.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” an anonymous official told CNN. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel."