Scheduled flights to the Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit region continue to increase thanks to the gradual reactivation of national and international airlines, operating more than 1,500 domestic and international flights during October 2021.
According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), operator of the “Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz” International Airport, which provides service to Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, the return of Canadian airlines merits the headlines. This is especially noteworthy after an absence of more than eight months due to the Canadian Government’s decision to suspend flights to Mexico to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air Canada, Swoop, and Sunwing restart service
Air Canada resumed service this Saturday, October 2, with a flight from Vancouver (YVR). Canada’s flag carrier joins West Jet, which resumed operations on June 5 with one flight a week from Calgary (YYC) and will also begin flying from Vancouver on Friday, October 8.
In addition to the airlines above, the ultra-low-cost carrier Swoop returned to the region on Tuesday, October 5, with two flights from Hamilton (YHM) and Edmonton (YEG). The airline is expected to resume the Abbotsford-Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit and Toronto-Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit routes on November 3. It will finally inaugurate the Winnipeg-Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit route on November 4.
Meanwhile, as of Sunday, October 10, Sunwing will resume operations with a flight from Toronto (YYZ). In the next few weeks, Air Transat will also restart operations with routes from Toronto and Montreal.
Canadian tourists are known for their extended stays during the winter and are some of the best performers in Puerto Vallarta in recent years. In the Riviera Nayarit, charming coastal towns like Sayulita, Bucerias and sophisticated resorts like Punta Mita attract Canadian travelers thanks to a differentiated offer that has them visiting this region repeatedly.
“Canada is the second-largest international market generating tourists to the Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit region, surpassed only by the United States. Undoubtedly, the return of Canadian airlines occurs at an ideal moment to boost the tourist flow in the last quarter of the year,” said Jesus Carmona, president of the Banderas Bay Hotel and Motel Association (AHMBB) and the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
In addition to the Canadian airlines, seven U.S. airlines will provide service this month: American, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, United, Frontier, and Spirit. Domestic airlines flying to the region include Aeromar, T.A.R., Aeroméxico-Aerolitoral, Magnicharter, Viva Aerobus, and Volaris.
A total of 17 national and international airlines have maintained their routes to Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit, thus contributing to the tourism and economic reactivation of the region.
