Air carriers in the United States are resuming flights to Western Mexico after two days of gang violence in the region disrupted air travel.
A Mexican military operation took place Sunday in the country’s state of Jalisco to kill Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, the leader of a drug cartel in the area. Violence and unrest from members of organized crime erupted across the region in response. US officials advised citizens to shelter in place on Sunday and Monday, February 22 and 23.
As a result, airlines across the US canceled flights to the state’s airports, which include Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, on Sunday and Monday.
As of Tuesday, February 24, the airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are back to normal operations, according to the group that manages them. While security personnel are at both airports to ensure travelers’ safety, all airlines are now operating as usual.
Those who need to fly home from these airports are able to book flights and take them home, while others are now able to fly to both airports from the U.S. and Canada.
United Airlines began to resume its flights to both Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara on Monday night. The carrier operates several routes from the US to Jalisco, including flights to Puerto Vallarta from Chicago, Denver, Houston.
Similarly, Alaska Airlines also restarted its flights to the region on Tuesday. The carrier operates routes into Puerto Vallarta from Los Angeles and Seattle, and to Guadalajara from Los Angeles, all of which were up and running on February 24, according to data from FlightAware.
FlightAware’s tracking data also showed that Delta restarted its routes from Minneapolis, Detroit, and Atlanta to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday morning, and that budget carrier Southwest Airlines had also resumed its flights between Denver and PVR early Tuesday.
As operations to the Jalisco area restart, travelers should continue to check with their airline for the latest information regarding their flight status. It’s always a good idea to sign up for text and email alerts from your airline during the booking process or through the carrier’s website or mobile app.
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