Porter is latest Canadian airline to restart service to Mexico

OTTAWA — Porter Airlines is resuming service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday after suspending flights to the region due to widespread violence, following similar announcements by Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat.

A post from Toronto-based Porter on X said it intends to restart service Tuesday, with complimentary changes being available for Puerto Vallarta through Feb. 25.

In a social media post Monday, Air Canada said full operations from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to the Mexican city will resume Tuesday, while flights from Toronto to Guadalajara will restart Wednesday.

WestJet and Air Transat also said they are resuming service to and from Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, with WestJet also doing the same for Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

In an update on its website, WestJet said the move followed a “thorough review of the current conditions” and that it would continue monitoring developments.

Air Transat said local authorities told them “no incidents related to road blockages have been reported in the state of Jalisco” since midnight Monday and that security measures have 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.

More than 26,000 Canadians in the country have registered with Ottawa.

Global Affairs Canada said it had resolved technical issues that initially prevented Canadians from signing up with the department for safety advice. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was urging all Canadians in Mexico to register with her department to receive the latest information available.

“We have multiple consular officials at the major centres. They are all standing by ready to assist Canadians,” Anand told reporters Monday.

“I ask that all Canadians follow local guidelines, including sheltering in place, if that is what local guidelines are dictating.”

Anand said the government was monitoring what she called a serious and rapidly evolving situation in Mexico. Violence broke out in multiple regions of the country on Sunday after the death of the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who was reportedly killed in a government operation.

Mexican officials said Monday that at least 73 people died in an attempt by special forces to capture Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” The dead included security forces, suspected cartel members and others.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, including in Puerto Vallarta, and sent smoke billowing into the air.

Canadians stuck in Mexico told The Canadian Press they were sleeping on pieces of cardboard in the Puerto Vallarta airport, with one pizza restaurant selling food to stranded travellers.

Anand said all Canadians in Mexico should register with Global Affairs Canada to ensure they receive assistance and updated information from the federal government — and to avoid being deceived by misinformation circulating on social media.

Anand said as of 7 a.m. ET Monday, 26,305 Canadians in Mexico had registered with Global Affairs Canada, an increase of nearly 8,000 people over 24 hours.

She said two Canadians have asked for help with “injuries that are non-life-threatening.” She did not specify whether those injuries were related to the violence.

One Canadian is seeking financial assistance, she said. The federal government will sometimes offer loans to Canadian travellers who can’t access their funds or face unforeseen expenses.

A handful of people identifying themselves as Canadians in Mexico posted on social media Sunday that they were unable to register with Global Affairs Canada. Anand admitted there were problems with the system but insisted they have been resolved.

“With the surge in volume, there was initially technical difficulties. Those were resolved late in the day yesterday and allowed the registrations to continue unimpeded,” she said Monday.

“I want to vociferously underline that our system is working well, and where there are kinks, we are addressing them, and it is functioning well at this time.”

Anand and her department urged Canadians on Sunday to follow local advice but were not explicitly asking citizens in Mexico to register at the time — unlike several MPs, who said they were getting questions from constituents in areas under emergency orders.

Anand said officials briefed MPs about the situation Monday and she also emailed MPs late Sunday.

Canadian Ambassador to Mexico Cameron MacKay told CTV on Monday afternoon that the registration system had been intermittent on Sunday and Monday. He said resolving those issues was the top priority of the department’s information technology team.

Anand said Mexico’s foreign minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente told her he “expects the situation to normalize in the coming days.”

“This is an operation that the Mexican government decided to undertake regarding the domestic affairs of Mexico. Our concern is the safety and security of Canadians,” she said.

Canada is not currently looking at arranging evacuation flights and has not been asked by Mexico to provide aid or military support, she said.

Anand said Mexican authorities did not inform her of its security operation ahead of time.

“I was not provided with any indication that this particular operation would be taking place, and on my understanding, I believe that the Government of Canada was not provided with (an) indication that it was going to occur,” she said.

“It is always helpful for us to know more in order to support Canadians.”

The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois called on Ottawa to evacuate Canadians. That step has not yet been taken by peer nations such as the United States — which, like Canada, is advising citizens to shelter in place until local authorities say the streets are safe to navigate.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong wrote on the social media platform X that Ottawa should “urgently work with Canada’s allies, and the government of Mexico, to ensure the safety of our citizens and to co-ordinate an evacuation.”

Bloc MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe told reporters in French that Ottawa should “put in place an emergency plan in collaboration with the Mexican authorities to repatriate Quebecers and Canadians.”

In Toronto, Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Canadians to consider vacationing in Canada instead of Mexico.

“That’s pretty unstable, when you’re taking out drug cartels and all of a sudden they’re going hitting back against tourists and everyone else,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.

“In my opinion, it’s not a stable country right now. Don’t go there and maybe pick an island somewhere, or here in Canada.”

Ford triggered blowback in late 2024 when he said U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments comparing drug trafficking in Mexico to drug trafficking in Canada were “the most insulting thing” he had “ever heard.”

Anand also said Monday that Ottawa will be sending some sort of aid to Cuba, where a humanitarian crisis is emerging due to a U.S. oil blockade.

“We are preparing a plan to assist. We are not prepared at this point to provide any further details of an announcement,” Anand said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.

— With files from Allison Jones in Toronto and The Associated Press.