Code Red: Vehicle explosions in Puerto Vallarta; Air Canada & WestJet suspend flights

This story was updated on Sunday, February 22 at 2:01 p.m. EST

Videos showing burning vehicles surfaced from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Sunday (Feb. 22).

According to reports, residents have been urged to remain indoors after federal authorities carried out operations in Tapalpa, a town in central-western Mexico, according to Mexican newspaper El Financiero. 

The outlet reported that criminal organizations and cartel members reacted by setting up roadblocks, carrying out arson, and engaging in armed clashes.

Officials in Jalisco have reportedly issued a statewide “Code Red” following a major law enforcement operation in Tapalpa early Sunday.

In a message posted on X, Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro said federal forces had conducted an operation in Tapalpa hours earlier, resulting in confrontations.

He added that individuals in multiple locations across the region and elsewhere in Jalisco had burned vehicles and created blockades in an attempt to disrupt authorities’ efforts.

Posts on social media indicate that explosions have been heard in Puerto Vallarta, including the popular Romántica Zone, throughout the morning. 

Speaking with PAX over Facebook at around 1 p.m. (EST), local resident Mike Speaker, who lives in Puerto Vallarta’s Romántica Zone, said he witnessed a large gas delivery tanker erupt into flames from his apartment window.

“I heard the tanker start, I looked out, and after it moved 100 feet, two masked armed guys on a motorbike approached it and stopped it,” Speaker said. “15 minutes later, it’s on fire.”  

Speaker said he is now “hunkering down” in a concrete corner in back of apartment, away from glass, fearing a large explosion.

The violence is believed to be connected to retaliation by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), widely considered one of the most dominant criminal organizations in Mexico.

Reports say Mexican security forces killed drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday.

"Follow the instructions of airport staff"

In an updated statement posted to X shortly after 2:30 p.m. EST, Puerto Vallarta Airport (PVR) confirmed that its terminal operations remain unaffected and that safety at the facility has not been compromised.

The airport said it is under the protection of the National Guard and the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) as part of ongoing coordination actions with federal authorities.

“However, by decision of the airlines, today, Sunday, February 22, 2026, all international operations and most domestic flights are cancelled,” the airport wrote in a statement. “We urge passengers and users to remain calm and follow the instructions of airport staff at all times.”

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico is recommending passengers at Puerto Vallarta Airport stay in communication with their airlines to be informed of changes to their itinerary.

WestJet, Air Canada, Porter activate flexible policies

WestJet has posted a "security" advisory and is providing flexible change options for customers travelling to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and Manzanillo from Feb. 22-25. Click here for details.

In a statement to PAX on Sunday, airline spokesperson Julia Kaiser said "WestJet is carefully monitoring the ongoing situation in Mexico, with the safety of our guests, crews and ground partners as our top priority." 

As of 3:07 p.m. EST, WestJet has diverted seven flights en route to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and cancelled 37 additional flights to and from PVR, Guadalajara (GDL) and Manzanillo (ZLO).  

"For guests currently in destination, WestJet and Sunwing are arranging extended stays so guests can comply with local official guidelines," Kaiser said. "As conditions evolve, additional cancellations may be required to ensure the safety of everyone in WestJet’s world." 

She noted that WestJet is advising all guests with imminent travel plans to Mexico check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

Air Canada has addressed the Puerto Vallarta flight suspensions. "We are monitoring the situation and in contact with local authorities who are working to resolve the issue," the airline wrote on its X account on Sunday. 

Customers are advised not to attempt to go to the airport "unless their flight is shown as operating on http://aircanada.com, and will be directly notified of changes to their itineraries," the airline noted.

"We will share more information as soon as it becomes available." 

Air Canada has also posted a flexible change policy, active until Feb. 25, that allows customers travelling on an affected PVR flight to make changes to their booking without penalty (space permitting). Click here for details. 

Porter Airlines, too, has posted an advisory for PVR, offering eligible passengers complimentary changes to their booking. Click here for details. 

“It’s a pretty crazy situation”

Alberta-based travel advisor Sandy Knox of JWS Travel – Journeys With Sandy was in Olympics mode, watching the USA-Canada men’s hockey game, when “everything went crazy.”

During the winter months, Knox and her husband live in Puerto Vallarta’s Palmar de Aramara neighborhood. 

“We’re about four blocks from the cruise ship marina and we can see fires from our balcony,” Knox told PAX over the phone early Sunday afternoon. 

Knox said she began receiving messages about burning vehicles, as well as advisories urging residents to go into lockdown, the moment the hockey game ended.

“Our friends were at a local pub, watching the game, and they were told to leave the bar when the game ended. When they went outside, there were vehicles on fire and a car exploded,” Knox said.

Other friends of Knox, also watching the game, were locked inside a bar as explosions broke out. “They stopped selling liquor and closed the shutters for safety concerns,” Knox said.

She said other friends staying at the Hotel Portonovo Plaza near Puerto Vallarta’s Malecón were instructed to evacuate and gather on the beach. Guests, however, have since been told it is safe to return to the hotel, she said.

“It’s a pretty crazy situation,” Knox told PAX, emphasizing that this sort of violent activity in Puerto Vallarta is not normal. “It’s unnerving, but we’re in our house, in a gated community. We’re safe.”

Knox said she doesn’t think the violence is targeting civilians, but sees it as retaliation for the arrest of a cartel leader the previous night.

Her advice to travel advisors with clients currently in Puerto Vallarta?

“Rely on your support in destination,” she said. “They’re trained in how to deal with these things.”

Air Canada Vacations reinforced this message in a communication to travel advisors on its Inner Circle Facebook page. 

"For customers currently at destination, please rest assured that our local representatives are reaching out to our clients with the most updated information available," the tour operator wrote. 

Taxi & rideshares suspended

The Government of Canada has also updated its travel advice page for Jalisco State, confirming that "criminal groups have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in several cities in Jalisco State, including in Puerto Vallarta. There have been shootouts with security forces and explosions." 

"A shelter in place order is in effect in Puerto Vallarta. All taxi and rideshare services are suspended until further notice," the advisory reads.

The government is advising Canadians in the region to "keep a low profile," monitor local and international media to stay informed of the "rapidly-evolving situation," and follow the advice of local authorities, including any orders to shelter in place.

This is a developing story.

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