Officials in US border city say FAA decisions caused major disruption – and residents are still scrambling for answers

Officials in Texas were left scrambling for answers on Wednesday after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a surprise order to shut down the airspace over El Paso for 10 days and then, as turmoil ensued in the city on the US-Mexico border , abruptly lifted it within hours.

Local leaders in the west Texas city said that they received no prior warning or explanation and the stunning announcement had put lives at risk.

FAA initially cited ‘security reasons’ for shutting off skies around El Paso airport in area along border with Mexico

The top US aviation agency has lifted a surprise 10-day closure of airspace above the US-Mexico border town of El Paso, Texas, just hours after it abruptly announced that it would close off the skies for “special security reasons”, without providing further explanation.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted the “temporary flight restriction” notice on its website late on Tuesday local time, stating that a 10-nautical-mile circle up to 18,000ft around El Paso international airport in Texas would be off limits for all commercial, cargo and general aviation flights.