'Never ever in history': Expert reveals new details about El Paso airspace closure [View all]

By Travis Gettys
Published February 11, 2026 8:50 AM ET

CNN's Pete Muntean could not hide his shock at the Federal Aviation Administration's "unprecedented" overnight move to shut down a U.S. airport for more than a week.

The FAA closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas, for 10 days without explanation, but Muntean told "CNN News Central" that a source familiar with the situation told him the decision was related to an unspecified military operation at a nearby U.S. Army base.

"It's a huge deal," Muntean said. "You know, it was a mystery, now, a little bit less so, and the new reporting from me, a source familiar briefed by the Federal Aviation Administration on this really unprecedented 10-day airspace shutdown over El Paso, Texas, right on the border there with Mexico, says this is all linked to military activity at nearby Fort Bliss, specifically Biggs Army Airfield. You can see it on the map there, just north of the El Paso International Airport. That is significant because it seems that the Defense Department was carrying out some sort of operation there, still sort of unspecified, which caused the FAA to think that they could not assure the safety of flights going in and out of El Paso International Airport. Therefore, that led to this blanket sweeping airspace shutdown without modern precedent."

https://www.rawstory.com/airspace-shutdown-never-in-history/

Hope no has to be life flight out..............because that is even shut down............

It has now been reported that it has been lifted without any restrictions............