Hundreds of flights to and from Mexico canceled following death of cartel leader ‘El Mencho’

Many airlines halted operations and issued question waivers aft Sunday’s convulsive events pursuing a subject cognition that led to the decease of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico’s astir wanted cartel leader. 

At slightest 237 flights person reportedly been canceled to and from the airports of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; Manzanillo, Colima; and Tepic, Nayarit. These cities saw information operations, roadworthy blockades and convulsive clashes pursuing the decease of El Mencho, starring airlines to prioritize the information of passengers and crew.

(1/2) The information concern successful Puerto Vallarta is ongoing, and section authorities person issued a shelter-in-place order. Air Canada flights to and from PVR volition beryllium cancelled tomorrow.

— Air Canada (@AirCanada) February 23, 2026

Although the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) stated that “airports proceed to run normally,” respective airlines person chosen to cancel flights.

With a dense subject beingness astatine the terminal, the Puerto Vallarta airdrome has suspended each planetary operations and astir home ones astatine the airlines’ discretion. 

Aeroméxico announced the suspension of scheduled flights to Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Tepic, and the activation of its extortion argumentation for affected passengers. 

Meanwhile, Viva offered its passengers the enactment to alteration their question dates escaped of complaint oregon petition a afloat refund.

Air Canada and United Airlines had antecedently announced the impermanent suspension of their flights to and from Puerto Vallarta.

Southwest and Alaska Airlines canceled flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, portion Delta Air Lines offered waivers for passengers traveling to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. 

Several U.S. and Canadian carriers aboriginal confirmed broader cancellations affecting routes to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo, with immoderate craft forced to crook backmost mid-flight owed to information concerns.

WestJet stated that it diverted 7 flights that were initially scheduled to spell to Puerto Vallarta and that it canceled an further 37 flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Airlines person implemented formation cancellation and modification policies for passengers with scheduled departures and for travelers presently stranded. Southwest besides plans to nonstop much craft to Mexico to repatriate its passengers and crews erstwhile the concern returns to normal.

On Sunday night, real-time formation tracking platforms specified arsenic Flightradar and FlightAware showed bare oregon sparsely populated skies implicit the Mexican Pacific coast.

By 9 p.m., 90 flights had been canceled to Guadalajara successful the past 24 hours; 4 to Tepic; 137 to Puerto Vallarta; and six to Manzanillo, according to FlightAware.

If you person a scheduled formation for today, Monday, check the presumption connected your airline’s website oregon app earlier heading to the airport. 

If your formation has a layover successful Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Tepic oregon Mazatlán, support successful caput that this is simply a processing communicative and changes tin hap connected abbreviated notice.  

With reports from Excelsior, La Jornada and CR Hoy