WestJet, Air Canada, Air Transat resume flights to Mexico

Breadcrumb Trail Links

Flights had been cancelled after cartel members responded with violence across the country after leader’s death

Published Feb 23, 2026 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 4 minute read

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Firefighters extinguish a burning truck set on fire by organised crime groups in response to an operation in Jalisco to arrest a high-priority security target, at one of the main avenues in Guadalajara, state of Jalisco, Mexico, on February 22, 2026. Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP /Getty ImagesArticle content

Three Canadian airlines are resuming service on Tuesday to parts of Mexico after cancelling flights over widespread violence.

Advertisement 2

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.

THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors

Article content

WestJet says it will resume scheduled operations to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Article content

It says the move followed a “thorough review of the current conditions” and that it will continue monitoring developments.

Air Transat and Air Canada say they are doing the same for flights to and from Puerto Vallarta. Air Canada says full operations from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver will resume Tuesday, while flights from Toronto to Guadalajara will restart Wednesday.

Air Transat says that according to local authorities, no incidents related to road blockages have been reported in Jalisco state since midnight and that security measures had been reinforced.

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico were told to shelter in place to escape violence that erupted on Sunday after the death of a notorious cartel leader as part of a government operation.

Your Midday Sun

Thanks for signing up!

Article content

Advertisement 3

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

25 Mexican National Guard troops dead

Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most aggressive and feared criminal organizations in Mexico, have unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states.

Mexico Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said Monday that 25 members of the National Guard were killed in Jalisco in six separate attacks after the killing of the cartel’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”

El Mencho was the boss of one of the country’s fastest-growing criminal networks and was notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and attacking any government official who challenged him.

He was killed during a shootout in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him.

Advertisement 4

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads, torching businesses and setting vehicles ablaze.

A prison guard, an agent from the state prosecutor’s office and a woman whom Garcia Harfuch did not identify were also killed.

The safety secretary added that about 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco and four others were killed in Michoacan.

A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Photo by Alejandra Leyva /AP PhotoA new day?

Schools across several Mexican states have been closed, with local and foreign governments warning citizens to stay inside after widespread violence erupted.

As President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm across the nation, and authorities said all of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states had been cleared.

Canadians in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, in Jalisco, were ordered to shelter in place with Global Affairs Canada updating its travel advisory Sunday, warning Canadians to “exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping.”

Advertisement 5

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

Passengers arriving at the city’s international airport on Sunday night were told it was operating with limited personnel due to violence.

But as of Monday, cars were seen out and about in Guadalajara before sunrise for the start of the work week, marking a huge change from Sunday when Mexico’s second-largest city was almost completely shut down as fearful residents stayed indoors.

Passengers remain stranded at Guadalajara International Airport following flight suspensions and lack of transport in Tlajomulco, Jalisco State, Mexico, on February 22, 2026. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images) Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP /Getty ImagesMore violence?

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.

David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture and outburst of violence marks a turning point in Sheinbaum’s push to crack down on cartels and relieve pressures from the U.S.

Advertisement 6

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

The Trump administration has demanded that Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

While Mexico’s efforts were well-received by the U.S., it could also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.

“This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

“Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” Mora added.

Advertisement 7

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

“This is signalling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it. We don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

El Mencho was Mexico’s most wanted man

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defence Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including El Mencho, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

“‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an X post, and commended Mexico’s military for its work.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.

WestJet, Air Canada, Air Transat resume flights to Mexico

Tags: