El Paso International Airport in Texas has been ordered to halt all flights for the next 10 days.
Local newspapers in El Paso and the New York Times cited “special security reasons”.
The restrictions – imposed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – cover all flights to and from the hub and are in place until 20 February, the airport said.
The order designates the skies around the airport as an “NTL defense airspace”, according to local news site, El Paso Matters.
The notice says that pilots who do not comply “may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement”.
And it warns that the US government may use “deadly force” against aircraft deemed to pose an “imminent security threat”.
The no-fly zone, centred around the airport, has a radius of 10 miles, and also covers the nearby Biggs Army Airfield, according to a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) posted on the FAA website.
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“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM,” it states.
El Paso International is roughly four miles from the Mexican border, however, so the order excludes Mexican airspace.
In 2024, more than four million passengers used the airport.
Despite its name, the hub appears to offer mainly domestic flights to offer US destinations.
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