El Paso International Airport in Texas has been abruptly closed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for what has been described as 'special security reasons'. This decision also includes restrictions on the surrounding airspace for a duration of ten days. Notably, the ban does not affect flights that are flying over 5,500 meters within the area, nor does it have implications for the nearby city of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

This unexpected closure is likely to cause significant disruption in one of the largest cities in the United States, which has a population of nearly 700,000 residents, ranking it as the 23rd largest city by population in the country. The dilemmas posed by the airport's closure may lead to chaos not only in local air travel but also in the broader U.S. air transportation network, which is already dealing with strains during periods of high consumer demand.

Such extraordinary security measures had only been enacted before in El Paso in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks when the federal government imposed widespread restrictions on air travel across the United States. The lack of detailed explanations regarding the current closure raises questions about the nature of the security threat and the potential implications for the region’s economy and travel routines.