El Paso is currently “closed” because the federal government temporarily shut down the airspace over El Paso International Airport (and nearby southern New Mexico) for special security reasons, halting essentially all flights for about ten days in mid‑February 2026.

What exactly is closed?

  • The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) that:
    • Suspends all flights to and from El Paso International Airport.
    • Covers about a 10‑nautical‑mile radius, designated as “National Defense Airspace.”
  • The airport has announced that:
    • Commercial passenger flights, cargo flights, and general aviation are all grounded for this period.
    • Even medevac flights are reported as being restricted under the order.

Why did they do this?

  • The official reason given publicly is only described as “special security reasons” or “security reasons.”
  • The FAA has not released details on:
    • The specific threat or incident.
    • Whether it is related to the border, Fort Bliss, or any particular national‑security operation.
  • Local officials have said they were not given advance notice and are also asking for more information, emphasizing that there are still many unanswered questions about why this happened.

How long will El Paso be affected?

  • The order went into effect late on February 10–11, 2026 (local time).
  • It is scheduled to last for about ten days, until around February 20–21, 2026, unless changed or lifted earlier.
  • During this period:
    • Thousands of passengers and significant cargo volumes are being disrupted or rerouted through other Texas and border airports.

What about roads and the city itself?

  • The city of El Paso is not shut down; people can still live, work, and move around inside the city.
  • There have been misleading posts and even a fake memo online claiming that all major highways in the El Paso area are closed for 10 days, but Texas state authorities have explicitly warned that memo is fraudulent.
  • Some social and business posts talk about “El Paso being closed” and mention highway closures due to “national security,” but those highway claims are not coming from official state security orders.

What you should do if you’re traveling

  1. Check flight status directly
    • Go to your airline’s app or website; all carriers serving El Paso have been told to inform passengers about cancellations and rerouting options.
  1. Look at alternate airports
    • Depending on where you’re coming from or going, airlines and freight operators are diverting traffic through other hubs such as Laredo, Eagle Pass, or West Texas/New Mexico airports.
  1. Be cautious with online “alerts”
    • Ignore screenshots or “memos” about road closures unless they are clearly from official state or federal channels; at least one widely shared El Paso road‑closure memo has already been labeled fake by Texas authorities.

TL;DR: El Paso isn’t “closed” as a city, but its airspace and airport operations are largely shut down for about ten days under a federal “National Defense Airspace” order tied to unspecified special security reasons, which officials have not yet fully explained.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.