PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Sept. 26, 2026 — Storms associated with Hurricane Polo delayed some evening flights at Puerto Vallarta International Airport on Saturday, with disruptions concentrated after 4 p.m.
Local airport reporting said some Viva and Volaris aircraft were held while weather conditions prevented immediate departure clearance. According to that report, water also accumulated in parts of the airport operations area between about 4 and 5 p.m.
We reviewed later flight histories to determine whether the disruption developed into a broader shutdown. The records show uneven delays rather than a suspension of airport operations.
Evening flights show varying delays
One of the clearest delays involved Viva flight VB4345 from Puerto Vallarta to Monterrey. Historical flight data for the departure show the aircraft left about 1 hour and 33 minutes after its scheduled departure time.
Volaris flight Y4283 from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City also left late. Its flight history for Saturday shows departure about 24 minutes after the scheduled time.
The pattern was not uniform across carriers or flights. A Viva flight from Puerto Vallarta to Felipe Ángeles International Airport scheduled for 5:10 p.m. remained close to its planned departure time in aircraft tracking records.
That distinction matters for travelers. The available records support temporary weather-related holds and individual delays, but not an airport-wide halt.
At the time the first local report was published, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico had not announced broader disruption to arrivals and departures. GAP’s official Puerto Vallarta flight information page continued to provide departure and arrival information Saturday.
The airport operator advises passengers to confirm schedules with their airline because its flight information is based on operational data and estimates supplied by carriers.
Rain adds another problem for airport travelers
The flight delays came as Puerto Vallarta dealt with another round of heavy rain and street flooding associated with Polo.
The airport is north of Marina Vallarta at Km. 7.5 on Carretera a Tepic, according to GAP’s airport information. Travelers heading between the terminal and central Puerto Vallarta depend heavily on the Francisco Medina Ascencio corridor.
Rain had already caused problems on that route before Saturday’s airport delays. On Friday, flooding forced authorities to close north-to-south lateral lanes of Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio near Plaza Genovesa after water rose above sidewalk level. The closure was documented during Friday’s flooding.
PVDN has also been following the broader road flooding caused by Polo across Puerto Vallarta as successive bands of rain moved through the area.
We did not find a verified Saturday evening report that the main airport entrance itself had been closed. However, the combination of flight delays and flooded city streets meant passengers faced disruptions both in the air and on the ground.
Polo was moving away from Jalisco
The delays occurred even as Polo’s center continued moving away from the Jalisco coast.
The National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. MST advisory Saturday said, “Polo turns northwestward as a powerful hurricane.”
At that time, Polo had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and was about 335 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. That placed the storm at Category 4 strength after it had reached Category 5 earlier in the week.
The hurricane’s center was not approaching Puerto Vallarta. However, its broad circulation and associated moisture were still affecting western Mexico.
That pattern matched the local effects PVDN outlined in its Friday update on Hurricane Polo and Puerto Vallarta, when rain, flooding, and elevated surf remained the principal concerns despite the hurricane moving farther offshore.
For passengers using Puerto Vallarta International Airport, GAP continues to direct travelers to confirm individual flight times with their airline before going to the terminal.
