'Unprecedented' Texas airspace closure lifted without explanation

The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly lifted its closure of the airspace over El Paso, Texas, hours after it was imposed without explanation.

The FAA had closed the airspace over El Paso for 10 days, and CNN's Pete Muntean reported 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.

However, the closure was lifted by the FAA shortly before 9 a.m. EST, about six hours after it was implemented, but no further information was provided by the government about either decision.

"The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted," the FAA posted on X. "There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."

Muntean's source did not provide any details about the military operation that prompted the closure, but the reporter pointed out that Biggs Army Airfield, which is located at Fort Bliss and is adjacent to El Paso International Airport, is a major base for helicopter and drone activity near the Mexico border.

"So some questions about drone operations there, of course, some big questions here about whether this is something that the federal government and the Department of Defense has not disclosed, and maybe that is why we're not getting some clarity about why this is being put in place with such a sweeping hand by the Federal Aviation Administration," Muntean said. "It's really interesting that the Defense Department is actually referring people, calling them to the FAA, and so now we're kind of stuck in this zone where nobody is really able to get a lot of new information."