The Puerta Vallarta airport is closed. Airlines have canceled flights to the region.
HOUSTON — With the unrest in parts of Mexico, air travel in and out of affected regions was affected Sunday. That includes flights operated by two airlines that have hubs in Houston.
On Sunday, the U.S. State Department issued a warning to U.S. citizens in certain parts of Mexico, urging them to shelter in place because of security operations and criminal activity. This comes after the Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, who was also known as “El Mencho.”
The warning for U.S. citizens was issued for the Mexican states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo León. That includes Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination spot, KHOU 11 reported.
KHOU 11 checked with Southwest Airlines for flights out of Hobby Airport and United for flights out of Bush to see the status. Both airlines canceled all flights to parts of Mexico Sunday.
Southwest Airlines told us it has canceled the four flights scheduled to fly into Puerto Vallarta on Sunday. The airline said it will set up support for customers affected by the cancellations once it’s safe to do so.
As for United, it told us all flight operations to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara have been canceled for Sunday and waivers are in place to support customers affected. The last flight back — Flight 1503 – arrived in Houston at around 2:40 p.m.
Our sister station, WFAA in Dallas, is reporting that American Airlines has also canceled flights to Mexico.
According to Chris Van Cleve with CBS News, Delta, Alaska, and Air Canada have also canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta. At least one American Airlines flight turned around as violence in Mexico escalated.
Puerto Vallarta International Airport said Sunday that all international and most national flights were canceled.
It’s not clear when the warning and airport closure may be lifted, but roadblocks and other travel disruptions are expected to continue in the coming days.
If you have plans to travel to the region, you should check with your airline to make sure it’s not been delayed or canceled.
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