Chaos erupted at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) and Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) due to violence across the Mexican state of Jalisco sparked by the death of a prominent drug cartel leader.
In video footage posted online passengers can be seen running in panic through the terminals and outdoor areas of Guadalajara International Airport as clashes between cartel gunmen and security forces were reported to have taken place near the airport.
Similarly, footage from Puerto Vallarta International Airport shows columns of thick smoke rising in the vicinity of the airport after the resort city became engulfed by cartel violence.
Several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, WestJet and Air Canada, have cancelled all flights to and from Puerto Vallarta until further notice in view of the deteriorating security situation.
Guadalajara International Airport has continued to operate, although some carriers, like American Airlines, have cancelled all their flights.
The suspension of flights follows warnings issued by the governments of US, Canada, and other countries, advising their nationals not to travel to the area and to shelter in place if they are already there.
Surprisingly, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP), which manages Puerto Vallarta airport as well as several other Mexican airports, issued a statement stating that “the airport had not seen impact in its internal operations or the safety within its facilities”, and affirmed that the closure of the airport to all international and most domestic flights had been prompted by the airlines.
Likewise, Guadalajara International Airport posted a statement on X in which it denied that its facilities had been the setting of a gun battle and insisted the airport was operating as usual. The panicked scenes published on social media, the statement said, reflected a moment of “psychosis” triggered by the broader security crisis, rather than a specific security risk affecting the airport facilities. According to its operator, the airport is totally under the control of the Mexican national guard and other security agencies.
The airport was just one of the flashpoints of a broader outburst of cartel-linked violence which is affecting multiple locations across the state of Jalisco, which is the main base for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels.
The armed clashes started on February 22, 2026, after the cartel’s leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera, also known as “El Mencho”, was killed by Mexican security forces, which were reportedly operating with US support.
Guadalajara International Airport is Mexico’s third busiest airport, having handled more than 18 million passengers in 2025. It serves an extensive domestic and international network, covering the Americas and even points in Europe.
Puerto Vallarta handled nearly seven million passengers in 2025, which makes it one of Mexico’s 10 busiest airports. As a major seaside tourist destination, it is served by most major US and Canadian airlines.