Guadalajara: vuelos cancelados y aeropuertos operan entre caos y pánico
Fights between the Mexican Army and members of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación disrupted travel on 22 February, producing narcoblockades and widespread flight cancellations to guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. Airports and authorities say terminals continue operating even as road closures and reports of armed men spread panic across the state.
Operativo contra “El Mencho” y narcobloqueos que desataron el caos
Confrontations between the Mexican Army and integrantes del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) sparked narcobloqueos and a wider security crisis that "terminaron con el líder del grupo criminal. " The violence left highways blocked and left the Guadalajara metropolitan area practically isolated by land as the day advanced.
32 cancelaciones en el Aeropuerto Internacional Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
El Aeropuerto Internacional Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla de la capital jalisciense reported the cancellation of at least 32 arriving flights that had been scheduled to depart from other Mexican cities and from the United States on 22 February. Domestic cancellations listed were: 6 from Ciudad de México, 3 from Monterrey, 3 from Puerto Vallarta, 2 from Tijuana, 1 from Villahermosa, 1 from La Paz, 1 from Cancún, 1 from Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and 1 from Acapulco. From the United States the cancelled departures included 4 from Los Ángeles, 2 from Fort Worth, 2 from Houston, 2 from San Francisco, 1 from Phoenix, 1 from Miami, 1 from Chicago and 1 from Las Vegas.
The airport urged users to allow extra time to reach the terminal and warned of altered traffic conditions on the carretera a Chapala: "Debido a situaciones imprevistas en la carretera a Chapala, es posible que haya alteraciones en el tráfico, por lo que sugerimos salir con tiempo extra para asegurar su llegada puntual. Agradecemos su comprensión. " Airlines such as Viva Aerobus, Volaris and Aeroméxico shared statements on their social networks asking people to anticipate their arrival at airports because of road blockages in various parts of Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta: 69 cancelaciones, dos desvíos y gran afectación internacional
El Aeropuerto Internacional Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, de Puerto Vallarta, registered at least 69 cancelled flights—mainly international—after midday Sunday, and two additional flights were diverted. Domestic cancellations to Puerto Vallarta included 5 from Guadalajara, 5 from Monterrey, 5 from Ciudad de México, 2 from Tijuana and 1 each from Morelia, León, Querétaro and Ciudad Juárez.
From the United States, the flights that did not depart included 3 from Los Ángeles, 3 from Dallas, 3 from Phoenix, 3 from Houston, 3 from Seattle, 3 from San Diego and 2 from San Francisco. Also listed as not arriving were flights from Salt Lake City, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland, San José, Santa Ana, Birmingham and Nueva York. Canadian cancellations included 5 from Vancouver, 2 from Edmonton, 2 from Winnipeg and 2 from Toronto, as well as flights from Calgary, Quebec, Victoria, Regina, Kelowna and Comox.
Pánico en la terminal de Guadalajara y la postura del Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico y el Gabinete de Seguridad
Shortly after 11 a. m. ET, videos began circulating showing people running terrified inside Miguel Hidalgo airport, hiding where they could and being sent into waiting rooms amid reports of an alleged intrusion by armed men. Those reports were not confirmed; the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which manages the Guadalajara terminal, said: "El aeropuerto internacional de Guadalajara opera con normalidad, sin cancelaciones ni afectaciones en sus operaciones aéreas. (Los sucesos que ocurren en el estado) no han impactado la operación interna ni la seguridad dentro de las instalaciones, que se encuentran bajo protección de la Guardia Nacional y la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, con quienes se tiene coordinación permanente. No se han registrado incidentes ni existe riesgo para pasajeros, colaboradores o visitantes. " The Gabinete de Seguridad reiterated that the airports of Jalisco operate normally and that passengers are taking flights as scheduled.
GAP characterized the internal alarm as "una psicosis que se generó pero no refleja la situación real, " while videos and social posts kept circulating in the hours after the events.
Transporte terrestre afectado: central camionera, balaceras, quemas y el penal de Ixtapa
The central bus station of Guadalajara experienced a partial halt in its departures because road closures and several shootouts near the terminal—located in Tlaquepaque—prevented the arrival of passengers. In Puerto Vallarta, reports of vehicle and business burnings isolated the southern access to the municipality along the federal highway 200.
Preliminary media reports indicated that armed men confronted custodians at the penal de Ixtapa and freed several inmates; those reports have not been confirmed by authorities. The accounts say the subjects entered the prison and fired largely at custodians, and some videos circulating show bodies lying outside the jail, though those images and the prison incident remain unofficial. Social networks proliferated with false or unverified posts, including a supposed threat attributed to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, intensifying public fear.
