• By JOWENA RILEY, TRAVEL WRITER

Flights have resumed at a key Mexican resort after widespread violence sparked by a drug kingpin’s death left thousands of tourists stranded earlier this week.

Cartel members unleashed chaos in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara to avenge Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as ‘El Mencho’, who was killed in a raid by Mexican special forces on 22 February.

A wave of attacks ensued. Vehicles were torched by gunmen, which blocked roads in 20 Mexican states and left smoke billowing into the air, and as many as 14 deaths were reported on Sunday. 

As a result, the majority of domestic and international flights were cancelled in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, leaving thousands of foreign visitors trapped in the country.

Tourists confined to resorts described witnessing a ‘war breaking out in the streets’, and reported that hotel kitchens and nearby restaurants had shut down, leaving many worried about where they would get meals.

However, flights resumed for select carriers in Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, 22 February, and are beginning to restart in Guadalajara today.

Canadian carriers Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Porter have all announced they will resume flights to Puerto Vallarta airport. 

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence in Puerto Vallarta, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states

Air Canada will further resume flights to Guadalajara, and WestJet will resume service to Guadalajara and Manzanillo airports. 

In a recently released statement, Air Canada announced: ‘Following consultation with the government of Canada and Mexican authorities, we will resume full operations from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday 24 February. 

‘Operations from Toronto to Guadalajara will resume on 25 February. 

‘To help get customers home as soon as possible, we’re flying larger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Toronto and Montreal to Puerto Vallarta, for 258 seats of added capacity.’

Air Canada has advised passengers to stay away from airports unless they have received clear confirmation that their new flight is scheduled to depart, according to the Montreal Gazette. 

The airline has also introduced a flexible rebooking policy for those scheduled to travel to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara before the end of February 2026. 

Air Canada, along with Air Transat, WestJet and Porter has announced it will resume flights to Puerto Vallarta airport from Tuesday, 25 February 

David Nichols, a product manager at one of the UK’s premier specialist agencies, Journey Latin America, said the region is beginning to stabilise, with public transport services now starting to return to normal. 

He told The Independent: ‘Our priority is always to make sure our clients are safe: Mexico is a vast country, and most of the places that our clients travel – including archaeological sites, colonial towns and extraordinary natural landscapes – remain unaffected.’

The terrifying violence has broken out barely 100 days before Mexico City hosts the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Mexico and South Africa at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-biggest city.

The country is set to host a total of 13 games across three cities in the major football tournament.

Both FIFA and local authorities are ‘closely monitoring’ the situation ahead of the match in June.

Credit: Daily Mail