PUERTO VALLARTA, Jal.— A visibly intoxicated man travelling with his two children was removed from Viva Aerobús Flight 1169 on Saturday, 26 April, after punching and verbally abusing cabin crew and airport staff moments before take-off from Puerto Vallarta’s Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport.
According to a statement the airline provided to El Financiero, the trouble started when flight attendants asked the passenger to swap seats so the aircraft’s weight balance could be adjusted. The man refused, launched into a tirade of insults and then threw a fist at one of the attendants. With the aircraft still at the gate, the crew triggered the “disruptive passenger” protocol and requested ground assistance.
Mobile-phone footage that has since gone viral shows the man outside the jet, still threatening staff while his children beg him to stop—“¡Ya, papá, por favor!” one sobs. Online users dubbed him #LordPaquiao (a play on boxer Manny Pacquiao) as the clip spread across X and TikTok.
Witnesses told Telediario that a ground supervisor who tried to intervene suffered two blows that split his lower lip. Elements of the National Guard eventually restrained the passenger and escorted him from the apron, where an official complaint was later filed with state prosecutors. Viva Aerobús said one staff member also sustained facial injuries but was released from a local clinic the same day.
The Monterrey-based low-cost carrier issued a brief statement condemning “any form of aggression toward our personnel” and pledged full cooperation with the investigation. Under Mexico’s Civil Aviation Law, interfering with flight operations or assaulting crew members can carry penalties of up to ten years in prison and fines exceeding 200,000 pesos.
Sunday’s incident is the second high-profile altercation aboard a Viva Aerobús aircraft in Puerto Vallarta this month. On 20 April, a couple was ejected after forcing their way onto a flight and rearranging other passengers’ luggage, delaying departure by nearly an hour. Aviation-safety advocates say the back-to-back episodes highlight “a worrying uptick” in unruly-passenger cases as Mexico’s peak summer-travel season approaches.
Local prosecutors have not yet named the suspect or confirmed potential charges, but a source at the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office said investigators are reviewing airport CCTV and social-media video to determine whether additional offences—such as child endangerment—apply. The airline advised affected passengers that Flight 1169 departed for Mexico City after a 63-minute delay.
