The Federal Aviation Administration late Tuesday halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport for 10 days for “special security reasons”. Isolating a major American metropolitan area from air a move that appeared to surprise state and local officials, the restriction went into effect at 11:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday and will remain in place until 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 20.The restriction encompasses a 10-mile area around El Paso, and includes the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, N.M., but does not apply to aircraft flying above 18,000 feet, the F.A.A. notices said.
