El Paso International Airport
IATA:ELP ICAO:KELP FAALID:ELP
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of El Paso
Operator	El Paso Aviation Department
Serves	El Paso, Texas, U.S. Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S. Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Location	El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Opened	1928; 98 years ago (1928)
Elevation AMSL	3,961.6 ft / 1,207.5 m
Coordinates	31°48′26″N106°22′39″W / 31.80722°N 106.37750°W /31.80722; -106.37750
Website	elpasointernationalairport.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Interactive map of El Paso International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 04/22 12,020 3,664 Asphalt 08R/26L 9,025 2,751 Asphalt 08L/26R 5,499 1,670 Concrete
Statistics (2024)
Total Passengers 4,038,530 Aircraft operations 97,737 Cargo (in tons) 93,829.8
Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1][2]

El Paso International Airport (EPIA, (IATA:ELP,ICAO:KELP,FAALID:ELP),Spanish:Aeropuerto Internacional de El Paso) is aninternational airport located four miles (6 km) northeast ofdowntown El Paso, inEl Paso County, Texas, United States. It is the busiest commercial airport servingWest Texas, SouthernNew Mexico andNorth Central Mexico. It handled 4,038,530 passengers in 2024, with 97,737 aircraft operations.^[3]

The City of El Paso built the firstEl Paso Municipal Airport near the east side of theFranklin Mountains in 1928. The airport was closed by 1945 and in more recent times has been home to the Jobe Concrete Products "Planeport" cement factory.^[4]

In 1934,Varney Speed Lines (nowUnited Airlines) operated at the original El Paso Municipal Airport (now closed). The original El Paso Municipal Airport construction was inspired by a visit fromCharles Lindbergh.^[5]

What became today's El Paso International Airport was built asStandard Airport by Standard Airlines in 1929 for transcontinental air mail service. Standard Airlines became a division ofAmerican Airlines in the 1930s. In 1936, American Airlines "swapped" airports with the City of El Paso, and El Paso International Airport was born.^[4]

DuringWorld War II, the airport was aUnited States Army Air Forces training base. Units which trained atEl Paso Army Airfield were:

• 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (B-17 Flying Fortress) December 21, 1942 – February 1, 1943
  • Served with the 8th Air Force in England.
• 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) (B-24 Liberator) November 11, 1943 – January 1, 1944
  • Served with the 8th Air Force in England.
• 497th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) (B-29 Superfortress) November 20–December 1, 1943
  • Served with the 20th Air Force at Saipan.

On August 3, 1961, El Paso was the last stop of the first major US hijacking of a jetliner, a Boeing 707 owned byContinental Airlines.^[6]

An expansion that tripled the size of the terminal occurred in 1971. A new structure for ticketing and bag claim was built in front of the old terminal and two passenger concourses were built behind the old terminal, retaining the old terminal in the middle, the outline of which can still be recognized today.^[7] It was designed by Garland & Hilles.^[8]

Servinggeneral aviation at El Paso International Airport, Cutter Aviation established afixed-base operation in 1982. Cutter Aviation moved to a new facility on Shuttle Columbia Drive in 2006. Atlantic Aviation also serves general aviation at ELP.

Standard Air Lines began the first scheduled commercial passenger and mail service to El Paso on February 4, 1928, with a route to Los Angeles making stops in Douglas, Tucson, and Phoenix, Arizona. The carrier began using a Fokker F-7 aircraft and soon upgraded to a Fokker F-10 trimotor.Maddux Air Lines soon followed beginning service on February 23, 1929, with nearly the same route as Standard Air Lines however Maddux continued on from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Maddux used a Ford trimotor aircraft but the service ended later in 1929 by the time of the great stock market crash.Western Air Express replaced Standard on the route to Los Angeles for a short time in 1930 and extended service eastward from El Paso to Dallas stopping at Big Spring, Abilene, and Fort Worth, Texas. American Airways then took over the route beginning on October 15, 1930, and later extended the route eastward all the way to New York, stopping at Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Washington D.C. as well as several other points. The carrier changed its name toAmerican Airlines in 1934.Douglas DC-3 aircraft were primarily used in the latter 1930s through 1940s followed byConvair 240's andDouglas DC-6's in the 1950s. A new route toMonterrey andMexico City,Mexico was flown from 1943 through 1957 and direct service toSan Francisco was added in 1948. Through the 1950s, American partnered withContinental Airlines offering an interchange service where American's flights fromLos Angeles and San Francisco, stopping inPhoenix, would continue eastward through El Paso as Continental's flights toSan Antonio andHouston using the same Douglas DC-6 aircraft. The interchange flights ended in 1961 when American received its own authority to serve the El Paso-San Antonio-Houston route. AmericanBoeing 707 andBoeing 727 jets began serving El Paso in the early 1960s and widebodyDouglas DC-10 jets began service on nonstop flights toDallas in 1972. The stop atDouglas, Arizona, on westbound flights ended in the mid-1960s and new nonstop service toChicago was added in 1969. Direct flights to San Antonio, Houston,Tucson, and San Francisco ended after airline deregulation in 1978 and American's service to Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles continues today.

From 1929 to 1931, Mid-Continent Air Express operated a route from El Paso toDenver stopping atAlbuquerque,Santa Fe,Las Vegas, NM,Pueblo, andColorado Springs. From 1931 through 1934, Western Air Express took over this route and extended it ontoCheyenne, WY.

Continental Airlines was the second major airline to serve El Paso. The carrier began asVarney Speed Lines in 1934 operating the northerly route from El Paso but only to Pueblo, Colorado, with stops at Albuquerque and several other points in New Mexico and Colorado. The name was changed to Continental Air Lines in 1937 and the route was extended back to Denver. A new route toCarlsbad,Hobbs, andRoswell, New Mexico, was added in 1940 followed by new routes toSan Antonio and toKansas City with several stops by the mid-1940s. Continental primarily usedLockheed Model 10 Electra andLockheed Model 18 Lodestar aircraft in the 1930s followed byDouglas DC-3's in the 1940s. LargerConvair 240,Convair 340, andDouglas DC-6 aircraft were introduced in the 1950s followed by theVickers Viscount by 1959. The San Antonio route was extended to Houston by the early 1950s at which time Continental partnered withAmerican Airlines to offer interchange service from Houston and San Antonio to Los Angeles and San Francisco by way of El Paso. Service toAlamogordo, New Mexico, was added in 1954 but discontinued in 1963, transferring the route toFrontier Airlines. New nonstop service to Dallas began in 1959, and in the early 1960s Continental received its own authority to operate westbound from El Paso to Los Angeles with stops in Tucson and Phoenix. Jet service began in the early 1960s withBoeing 707 andBoeing 720 jets on the Los Angeles-El Paso-Houston route which also made stops at Phoenix, Tucson,Midland and San Antonio.Douglas DC-9 jets arrived in 1966 which began jet service on the routes to Dallas, Albuquerque and Denver, and also the route to Kansas City that stopped in Midland,Lubbock, andWichita Falls,Texas, as well asLawton, Oklahoma City, andTulsa,Oklahoma. The service to the smaller cities in southeastern New Mexico ended in 1963 (retiring the DC-3 aircraft) and was transferred to Trans Texas Airlines. Continental was operating all jets by 1967 and El Paso became a small hub through the 1970s with up to five flights on the ground at a time using a new rotunda shaped gate area on the end of the east concourse. A widebodyDouglas DC-10 was operated on a Los-Angeles-El Paso-San Antonio-Houston flight, eastbound only, in the latter 1970s. Service to the Mexican resort cities of Acapulco, La Paz, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, and Puerto Vallarta was operated from 1979 through 1981. After airline deregulation in 1978, Continental slowly downsized its El Paso operation to flights only serving its hubs at Denver and Houston. For a few years in the early 1990s, nonstop flights to Mexico City were operated.Continental Express service toAlamogordo, Carlsbad, andRoswell, New Mexico, was briefly operated in 1987. The Denver flights ended in 1994 and new Continental Express service with regional jets began replacing Continental's mainline jets to Houston in the 2000s. Continental merged intoUnited Airlines in 2012.

Trans-Texas Airways was the third carrier to serve El Paso. Trans-Texas began operating in 1947 solely within the state of Texas and El Paso was the western terminus for flights from Dallas and Houston that made many stops at small communities throughout central and west Texas. Trans-Texas operatedDouglas DC-3 aircraft and flights from El Paso would stop atMarfa,Alpine,Pecos,Ft. Stockton, and several other communities. In 1963, new routes were established to Carlsbad, Hobbs, and Roswell, New Mexico while the initial routes to most of the small Texas cities were discontinued. LargerConvair 240 andConvair 600 aircraft replaced the DC-3's in the mid-1960s. In 1969 the carrier changed its name toTexas International Airlines and newDouglas DC-9 jets began flights from El Paso to Houston making stops inMidland,San Angelo andAustin. These flights ended in 1971. For the next several years only a single flight to Carlsbad, Hobbs,Big Spring,Brownwood, and Dallas was operated using a Convair-600. A DC-9 jet flight to Dallas, stopping in Roswell and Midland, operated for a period in 1975. All service to El Paso ended in 1977 but was reinstated in 1980 when nonstop jet flights to Dallas began. Texas International merged into Continental Airlines in 1982 at which time the Dallas flights ended.

Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) began a route from El Paso to Phoenix in 1950 that made stops inLas Cruses,Deming,Silver City andLordsburg, New Mexico, as well asClifton,Safford,Globe andSuperior, Arizona.Douglas DC-3 aircraft were used and the service ended in 1955. Frontier returned to El Paso in 1963 with a route to Alamogordo and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which eventually continued toSalt Lake City.Convair 580 aircraft were used on this route and in 1967 Frontier began nonstop flights to Albuquerque and onto Denver withBoeing 727 jets. The 727's were later swapped out withBoeing 737-200 jets and new service to several points in Mexico was established from 1978 through 1984. These Mexican destinations includedGuadalajara,Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo,Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta. Frontier ceased operating in 1986, and a newFrontier Airlines was established in 1994 with Boeing 737 flights to Albuquerque and Denver.

Southwest Airlines began flights from El Paso to Dallas, Lubbock, and Midland/Odessa in 1977 usingBoeing 737-200's and continually added new service, becoming the largest carrier at El Paso by the early 1980s.Delta Air Lines andUnited Airlines also began service in the 1980s.

Since airline deregulation went into effect in late 1978, many other carriers have served El Paso includingEastern Airlines,Western Airlines,America West Airlines,USAir,Northwest Airlines,TWA,Aerolitoral (feeder carrier forAeroMexico), andLineas Aereas Azteca. At least 15 smaller commuter airlines have also provided service to points in southern New Mexico, southeast Arizona, and toChihuahua, Mexico, from the 1960s through the 1990s.^[9]

On the night of February 10, 2026, theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that most of El Paso'sairspace would be closed for 10 days. Thetemporary flight restriction, beginning at 11:30 p.m.Mountain Standard Time (UTC−07:00), prohibited all civilian flights at El Paso International, including airlines,air medical services, and general aviation. It covered a cylinder centered on the El PasoVORTAC at31°48′26″N106°22′35″W / 31.80722°N 106.37639°W /31.80722; -106.37639 with a radius of 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) and ceiling of 17,999 feetMSL. This covered neighboring areas includingSanta Teresa, New Mexico,Fort Bliss, and U.S.airspace adjoining the border with Mexico, but it excluded Mexican airspace.^[10][11]

The restriction was issued without any advance warning and said that "deadly force" may be used against aircraft that pose an "imminent security threat". The FAA said the restriction was enacted for "special security reasons" and did not state any additional details.^[11][12] At 7 a.m., less than eight hours after it was imposed, the FAA lifted the flight restriction and said it was prompted by a "cartel drone incursion" and that "The threat has been neutralized".^[13][14]

The Associated Press and theNew York Times reported that the FAA imposed the restriction becauseUS Customs and Border Protection attempted to use an experimentallaser weapon loaned from the military to shoot down what it claimed were drug cartel drones.^[13][15] According to anonymous government sources, the FAA was unconvinced that the weapon was safe to use around civil aircraft, and issued the restriction as a precaution because the weapon had been used earlier in the week at Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA. In that case, the target turned out to be a party balloon. After the restriction was lifted, it was unclear whether laser weaponry use would continue.^[13][16]

Claims of drone presence by theTrump administration were not independently corroborated, and numerous officials questioned the justification for the sudden and drastic airspace closure.Ted Cruz andJohn Cornyn, bothUS senators representing Texas, requested classified briefings.Veronica Escobar,US representative for most of El Paso, said that "There have been drone incursions from Mexico going back to as long as drones existed" and that the drone narrative was "not the information that we in Congress have been told."^[14][17] Mexican presidentClaudia Sheinbaum said she had no information about drone use at the Mexico–US border.^[17] MayorRenard Johnson of El Paso complained that "You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leaders. That failure to communicate is unacceptable."^[16]

This was the first sudden closure of US airspace for security reasons since theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001.^[18][19] The episode required the rerouting of multiple medical evacuation flights, and the cancellation of seven arriving and seven departing passenger flights.^[13]

El Paso International Airport covers 6,670 acres (2,699 ha) and has three runways:^[1][20]

• 4/22: 12,020 ft × 150 ft (3,664 m × 46 m),asphalt
• 8R/26L: 9,025 ft × 150 ft (2,751 m × 46 m), asphalt
• 8L/26R: 5,499 ft × 75 ft (1,676 m × 23 m), concrete

The terminal is a pier-satellite layout. It has a central entrance and the gates branch out east to west on the two concourses. The airport has East and West Concourses. Gates A1–A4 are located on the West Concourse and Gates B1–B11 is located on the East Concourse. The airport has a total of 15 gates. There is also a lower and upper level. The gates are located on the upper level and the ticketing, baggage claim, rental car, and main entrance are located on the lower level of the terminal. The meeter/greeter area is located on the lower level just behind the escalators that lead to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint leading to the gates. The corridor from the ticketing/baggage claim to the gate concourses passes through the old terminal which is used today for airport administration. Major terminal renovations have been made over the past several years, designed and managed by the local architectural firm MNK Architects.

The airport access road is Convair Road. Convair Road splits into four lanes with the left two lanes reserved for commercial vehicles and the right two lanes utilized for pickup and drop-off of passengers. In between the split road there is a waiting area where passengers can wait for commercial vehicles to arrive.

Gates:Generally, these gates are used by:Gates A1–A4: American Airlines and American Eagle.Gate B1: Delta Air Lines.Gates B3, B5-B7: Southwest AirlinesGate B10 Allegiant. Gates B8 and B9: United Airlines and United Express.Gate B10: Alaska. Gate B11: Frontier.

Food court:The food court is between gates B6 and B11; it has Carlos and Mickey's Mexican Express, Slice, Tia's,Schlotzsky's,Cinnabon andStarbucks.

TheEl Paso Independent School District (EPISD) began leasing a property on the grounds of the airport in 1963 to house its administrative headquarters. By the 2010s the City of El Paso desired the use of the property for airport expansion, but chose to defer the original 2014 expiration of the lease to at least December 31, 2019 so EPISD had time to find a new headquarters location.^[21] In 2021 the current EPISD headquarters inDowntown El Paso opened.^[22]

Sun Metro routes 33 and 208 pick up outside the terminal. A connection at the Eastside Terminal to the 50 or 59 bus is required to get toAmtrak and theEl Paso Streetcar.^[23]

El Paso International Airport has 15 gates on 2 concourses:Concourse A (used exclusively by American) has gates A1–A4 andConcourse B has gates B1–B11.

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Destinations map
El Paso Atlanta Dallas/ Fort Worth Seattle/Tacoma Denver Phoenix–Sky Harbor Las Vegas San Antonio Austin San Diego Chicago–O'Hare Los Angeles Dallas–Love Houston–Intercontinental Houston–Hobby Long Beach Orlando Chicago–Midway Nashville class=notpageimage| Destinations from El Paso International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future Destination

Busiest domestic routes from ELP (June 2024 – May 2025)^[39]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	340,680	American
2	Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona	217,480	American, Southwest
3	Denver, Colorado	211,410	Frontier, Southwest, United
4	Dallas–Love, Texas	190,360	Southwest
5	Las Vegas, Nevada	168,380	Allegiant, Southwest
6	Houston–Hobby, Texas	123,870	Southwest
7	Houston–Intercontinental, Texas	123,580	United
8	Austin, Texas	109,060	Southwest
9	Atlanta, Georgia	103,900	Delta
10	Los Angeles, California	95,640	American, Southwest

• On August 31, 1957, aUSAFDouglas C-124 Globemaster II struck the ground while on approach in poor weather 2.5 miles NE of ELP. Five out of the 15 occupants on board died.^[41]
• On July 20, 1982,Douglas C-47D N102BL of Pronto Aviation Services was damaged beyond repair in a crash landing near El Paso International Airport following an engine failure shortly after take-off. The aircraft was on a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight toTucson International Airport in Arizona when the engine failed and the decision was made to return to El Paso. A single-engine go-around was attempted following an unsafe landing gear warning.^[42]
• On February 19, 1988, Don McCoy, a private pilot, the owner of El Paso Sand and Gravel, took off in a newly acquiredRockwell Aero Commander 680 in a snowstorm (an aircraft he was not properly rated to fly), and attempted to land again after encountering mechanical trouble ininstrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The aircraft crashed, killing the owner and two acquaintances. Some later attempted to attribute the accident to US SenatorPhil Gramm, as it was alleged that McCoy planned to testify against Senator Gramm's shakedown of campaign contributions made by the El Paso Small Business Administration office.^[43]
• On January 16, 2006,Continental Airlines Flight 1515, (Registered as N32626 for both Continental and United), a Boeing 737-524 bound for Houston, was undergoing a pre-flight inspection when a mechanic (Donald Gene Buchanan) was sucked into the right engine and killed. The aircraft sustained minor damage.^[44]
• On April 11, 2015, aSouthwest Airlines jet was directed by the tower at ELP to land on a closed runway under construction. The aircraft landed safely but missed construction equipment by "mere feet".^[45]
• On June 3, 2018,American Airlines Flight 1897, an Airbus A319 aircraft from San Antonio to Phoenix, was diverted to El Paso due to damage sustained by the aircraft after running into a hail storm in flight. The plane was able to land normally, and no injuries were reported.^[46]

• Texas World War II Army Airfields

 This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEl Paso International Airport.

• Official website
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective January 22, 2026
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNavairport information for KELP
  • ASNaccident history for ELP
  • FlightAwareairport information andlive flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations:current,past three days
  • SkyVectoraeronautical chart for KELP
  • FAAcurrent ELP delay information
• Abandoned & Little Known Airfields: Texas – El Paso area
• FAA Airport Form 5010 for ELPPDF
• AirTimes – A Source for Airline History
• Airport diagram for January 1963

• 1928 establishments in Texas
• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas
• Air Transport Command airfields in North America
• Airports established in 1928
• Airports in Texas
• Buildings and structures in El Paso, Texas
• Transportation buildings and structures in El Paso County, Texas
• Transportation in El Paso, Texas

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