By The Canadian Press

Anand won’t say if Canadians should cancel Mexico trips as airlines resume flights

Feb 24, 2026 | 3:27 AM

OTTAWA — Canadian airlines resumed flights in and out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday after widespread violence led them to temporarily suspend service on the weekend.

But Canada’s foreign affairs minister would not say Monday whether Canadians should reconsider upcoming travel plans to Mexico.

Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Porter Airlines have all announced they will be resuming flights to and from the popular western Mexican resort city, with WestJet also offering service to Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Flair Airlines said in a statement that it would start up service to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara starting Wednesday.

“Conditions have stabilized to a level that allows us to operate safely, and recovery flights will begin bringing impacted customers home,” a Flair spokeswoman said in an email to The Canadian Press.

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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 Mexican government operation.

Global Affairs Canada is advising people in affected areas to limit their movements and to travel to the airport only if they have a confirmed flight “and it is safe to do so.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters Tuesday morning that more than 55,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Ottawa. That’s more than double the 26,305 she said had registered as of 7 a.m. ET on Monday.

Anand said Canadians should follow the guidance of local authorities, as the situation is evolving and can differ from region to region in Mexico.

“The long and the short of it is, the situation is becoming more normalized. We should continue to see this trajectory unfolding. The situation needs to be closely monitored as we are doing with our consular officials on the ground in Mexico,” she said.

Global Affairs Canada says Canadians should avoid non-essential travel to more than a dozen Mexican states because of high levels of violence and organized crime.

The advisory says travellers should avoid the state of Jalisco within 50 kilometres of neighbouring Michoacan. Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are part of Jalisco but are outside that buffer zone.

Asked whether Canadians with planned trips to Mexico should cancel their flights, Anand said decisions should be taken on a day-to-day basis even as the situation appears to be improving.

“The advice that our government is providing is that this is a situation that is very volatile and it is evolving every day,” she said.

“To make a decision about your plans for next week on Tuesday of the week before may be premature.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press