EL PASO, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to pilots Wednesday morning temporarily restricting airspace over El Paso and the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, classifying the area as “national defense airspace” under Defense Department control and citing “special security reasons.”
The notice, a Notice to Airmen known as a NOTAM, sets the restrictions for Feb. 10–20, 2026, and states that pilots who do not follow the procedures “may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed” by law enforcement or security personnel. It also warns that “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT.”
Under the NOTAM, all aircraft flight operations are prohibited within the defined area, and flights in and out of El Paso International Airport and nearby regional airports have been canceled or grounded, with even medical evacuation flights restricted. Local authorities and military officials have said they received no information regarding the notice.
Such a sweeping airspace closure over a major U.S. city is described as unprecedented, with the last comparable restriction cited as occurring after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
