Air Canada resumed flights to Puerto Vallarta from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver on February 24, following a wave of cartel-related violence that swept across multiple Mexican states on February 22 and forced the carrier to suspend operations, the airline said in a series of posts on social media.
Services from Toronto to Guadalajara were scheduled to resume on February 25, following consultation with the Canadian and Mexican governments.
To accelerate the repatriation of stranded passengers, Air Canada deployed larger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on the Toronto and Montreal routes to Puerto Vallarta, adding 258 seats of capacity. The airline said passengers in Mexico whose flights were cancelled on February 22 and 23 would be advised of new itineraries once rebooking was confirmed, and that a flexible rebooking policy would remain in effect until February 28.
The disruptions followed a coordinated outbreak of violence on February 22 in which criminal groups set up roadblocks using burning vehicles across several states, including Jalisco, Guerrero, Nayarit, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Quintana Roo and Baja California. Shootouts with security forces and explosions were reported on roads connecting affected areas, according to Canada’s travel advisory updated on February 23.
Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports remained open, with domestic flights resuming on February 23 and international services from February 24. Shelter-in-place orders remained in effect in Jalisco and Nayarit, and Canadian authorities advised travellers to proceed to airports only with confirmed flights and to monitor local conditions.
Canada’s government maintained its standing advice to exercise a high degree of caution across Mexico, with a stronger advisory to avoid non-essential travel to Jalisco areas within 50 km of the Michoacán border.