{"id":20897,"date":"2023-01-08T03:00:41","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/?p=20897"},"modified":"2023-01-09T06:38:27","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T11:38:27","slug":"mayhem-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/mayhem-in-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayhem in Mexico: Airports Closed Amid Cartel Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were violent clashes between cartel members and security forces in Culiacan on Jan 5, after the arrest of a son of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo”. Further clashes were reported throughout Sinoloa state in response – cartel members set up road blocks, set fire to vehicles and attacked a local airport, where<\/strong> two planes were hit by gunfire.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Airport closures<\/h4>\n

Several airports in the region were forced to close:<\/p>\n

MMCL\/Culiacan<\/strong> – during the clashes on Jan 5, an Aerom\u00e9xico E190 was hit by gunfire on departure here, resulting in an aborted takeoff. One bullet hit the tail of the aircraft.<\/p>\n

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Elsewhere in Sinaloa, other airports remain closed on Jan 6 – MMMZ\/Mazatlan, MMCN\/Ciudad Obregon, and MMLM\/Los Michos.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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All airports have now re-opened, but operators should continue to be cautious. It is recommended to pre-arrange transportation and hotels, and check that routes are not affected by any airspace closures.<\/p>\n

Mexico overview<\/h4>\n

Up until now safety and security issues have been relatively few and far between for Mexico.<\/p>\n

The following alerts are currently active (Jan 2023):<\/strong><\/p>\n