Tourists recount panic after Mexico cartel violence halts Puerto Vallarta flights

Record ID: 2344088

  • Title: Tourists recount panic after Mexico cartel violence halts Puerto Vallarta flights
  • Date: 24th February 2026
  • Summary: PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEXICO (FEBRUARY 23 2026) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF AIRPORT, SIGN SAYING (Spanish): “PUERTO VALLARTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” (NIGHT SHOT) NATIONAL GUARD WATCHING OVER AREA PASSENGERS WALKING OUT OF AIRPORT BUILDING VARIOUS OF AIRLINE CHECK-IN COUNTERS VARIOUS OF FEW PEOPLE WALKING INSIDE AIRPORT  (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL ESTATE AGENT, LUZ MOSO, SAYIN
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Cartel Cartel Violence International Airport Jalisco Mencho Mexico National Guard Puerto Vallarta Stranded Passengers Tourist drug trafficking military operation organized crime violence
  • Location: PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEXICO
  • City: PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,South America / Central America,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA001796723022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tourists and residents described scenes of panic at airports and on the streets of western Mexico on Monday (February 23), after violence erupted across Jalisco state following the death of cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera.
        Puerto Vallarta’s international airport remained visibly quiet on Monday, with National Guard troops patrolling terminals and security forces frisking travelers as airlines gradually moved to restore service. Air Canada said it would resume full operations to Puerto Vallarta from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver on Tuesday (February 24), and restart flights from Toronto to Guadalajara on Wednesday (February 25).
        Some passengers recounted terrifying moments during Sunday’s (February 22) unrest. Luz Moso, a Mexican real estate agent, said she was making a flight connection in Guadalajara when crowds suddenly rushed into the terminal.
        “Everyone came running in, scared, saying that people were going to come in and shoot at us,” she said. “We all ran under the tables… and no one came out—no one from the airport—to tell us what was happening.”
        Canadian tourists arriving in Puerto Vallarta expressed mixed feelings as authorities deployed additional troops across Jalisco. Software developer Dave Block said he and his family chose to continue their trip.
        “We figured the Mexican government is very motivated to take care of the tourist industry. So I don’t feel very worried,” he said.
        Others described being caught in areas where cartel gunmen set vehicles ablaze.
        “Nothing was open. It was a terrifying day,” said Tania Kidston, a Canadian government worker traveling with her daughter. “My daughter saw the cartel light a car on fire right in front of us.”
        Mexico has deployed 2,000 additional soldiers to the state after coordinated attacks by the Jalisco New     Generation Cartel (CJNG), launched in retaliation for the government raid that killed Oseguera on Sunday. The operation marked one of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s most aggressive moves yet against the country's most powerful organized crime groups.
    (Production: Dessire Carrion, Gloria Lopez, Diego Delgado, Mark Ho)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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