Flights are being cancelled in some parts of Mexico as a shelter-in-place warning remains in effect in more than a dozen of states after the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert following the death of the leader of “El Mencho,” a Jalisco New Generation Cartel who was killed by the Mexican army.
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert on Feb. 22 advising U.S. citizens to “shelter in place until further notice” due to “ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity” in more than a dozen states. Puerto Vallarta International Airport on X said Sunday that all international and most national flights were canceled, while other airlines announced some cancellations in Mexico.
The U.S. alert is for the states of Jalisco (including the cities of Guadalajara, Chapala and Puerto Vallarta), the state of Tamaulipas, (including the border city of Reynosa, across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas) and parts of the states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.
A Sunday evening alert update reported trouble had expanded to various cities in at least 15 states, including the states of Baja California (the cities of Tijuana, Ensenada and Tecate), Quintana Roo (Cancun), Sinaloa (Mazatlan) and areas of the states of Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Colima, Puebla, Oaxaca, the state of Mexico, Queretaro, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
Here’s what to know about the travel advisory to Mexico.
Are flights to Mexico being cancelled?
While no airports have been closed, roadblocks have impacted airline operations, with most domestic and international flights cancelled in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, according to the U.S. Embassy alert.
American Airlines is cancelled all flights on Sunday, Feb. 22 to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, according to its website. It’s unclear when flights would resume.
Southwest Airlines also cancelled a handful of flights on Sunday, and scheduled services to Puerto Vallarta “may be disrupted” until Wednesday, Feb. 25. “We’ll continue to evaluate the conditions as the situation develops. Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and our employees,” Southwest said in a statement to FOX Business.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, as well as Air Canada also suspended operations in Puerto Vallarta, FOX Business reported.
Is it safe to travel to Cancun right now?
The U.S. Embassy listed Cancun as one of an additional 15 states in its security alert on Sunday, saying “due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in a number of locations in Mexico are urged to shelter in place.”
What happened in Mexico yesterday?
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for various parts of Mexico following the killing of reputed drug lord “El Mencho.”
“El Mencho,” Nemesio Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed in a raid by Mexican military special forces on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico’s defense ministry said. The raid was conducted in collaboration with intelligence from U.S. authorities.
The powerful drug lord’s death sparked an outbreak of violence, including vehicle burnings and gunmen blocking roadways in more a dozen states in Mexico.
Is it safe to travel to Mexico right now?
The U.S. alert is for the states of Jalisco (including the cities of Guadalajara, Chapala and Puerto Vallarta), the state of Tamaulipas, (including the border city of Reynosa, across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas) and parts of the states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon.
A Sunday evening alert update reported trouble had expanded to various cities in at least 15 states, including the states of Baja California (the cities of Tijuana, Ensenada and Tecate), Quintana Roo (Cancun), Sinaloa (Mazatlan) and areas of the states of Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Colima, Puebla, Oaxaca, the state of Mexico, Queretaro, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Mexico travel advisory: Are flights to Mexico being cancelled?
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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