Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Sept. 8, 2026 – International passenger traffic at Puerto Vallarta’s airport fell 26.3% in August, dropping to 119,200 passengers from 161,800 one year earlier.
The loss of 42,600 international passenger movements accounted for 87% of the airport’s entire year-over-year decline in August, our calculation found.
Total traffic fell 10.3% to 426,900, while domestic traffic declined 2% to 307,700, according to GAP’s preliminary August traffic report.
International loss dominates August figures
Puerto Vallarta’s international decline was more than double its overall passenger decrease for August.
The airport’s 26.3% international drop also exceeded the 4.5% decline across GAP’s full international network, which includes its airports in Mexico and Jamaica.
International traffic fell 16.6% at Los Cabos and 23% at Montego Bay. Guadalajara recorded a 13.3% increase.
The comparison places Puerto Vallarta among the weakest international results in GAP’s August report.
Domestic traffic provided some stability. Puerto Vallarta processed 307,700 domestic passengers, 6,300 fewer than the 314,000 recorded in August 2025.
Eight-month deficit approaches 599,000 passengers
Puerto Vallarta International Airport handled 4.233 million passengers from January through August. That was 598,900 below the 4.832 million recorded during the same period last year.
International passenger traffic fell 19.7% during those eight months. The count dropped from 2.713 million in 2025 to 2.178 million this year.
Domestic traffic fell 3%, from 2.119 million to 2.055 million.
Our calculation using GAP’s figures found that international traffic accounted for 534,400 of the eight-month loss. That represents 89.2% of the total decline.
PVDN reported last week that cumulative traffic through July was 12.6% below 2025. August narrowed the eight-month decline to 12.4%, despite the continued weakness in international travel.
Local impact differs for residents and tourism
For residents who primarily use domestic routes, the August decline was 2%, not the airportwide 10.3%. The year-to-date domestic decline was 3%.
The international figures carry greater weight for businesses relying on foreign passenger traffic. Those include airport transportation providers and businesses serving Marina Vallarta, the Hotel Zone, Centro and Zona Romántica.
The airport’s international passenger count is not the same as a foreign visitor count. International passengers can include residents traveling abroad, while one traveler may be counted during both departure and return.
GAP’s official glossary defines terminal passengers as total passengers minus those remaining in transit. Total passengers include arrivals, departures, connections, infants and general aviation.
The August report also does not mean the airport operated 26.3% fewer international flights. Passenger totals can change with aircraft capacity, available seats and occupancy. GAP did not publish route-level flight totals for Puerto Vallarta in the report.
GAP cites security and airline pressures
GAP has connected part of Puerto Vallarta’s passenger decline to the February security disruption in Jalisco.
In its first-quarter financial filing, the company said the events temporarily disrupted mobility and affected travel demand.
Airlines canceled all international service and most domestic operations at PVR on Feb. 22, according to GAP. The operator reported 95% of flights active two days later.
PVDN’s earlier coverage of the February disruption documented the immediate cancellations and the first monthly traffic decline.
During GAP’s July earnings call, CEO Raúl Revuelta said the company was “actively partnering with airlines and regional tourist stakeholders to rebuild route connectivity and boost travel and confidence.”
GAP also cited higher jet-fuel costs and airline capacity decisions as industry pressures. The company did not assign a percentage of Puerto Vallarta’s cumulative loss to any single cause.
Puerto Vallarta moved against the Mexican network
Passenger traffic across GAP’s 12 Mexican airports increased 2.6% in August.
Guadalajara traffic rose 10.5%, while Tijuana gained 1.2%. Puerto Vallarta declined 10.3%, and Los Cabos fell 6.2%.
Across GAP’s full network, domestic traffic increased 3.8% in August. International traffic fell 4.5%, leaving total passenger traffic 0.5% above August 2025.
Puerto Vallarta’s international traffic fell 26.3% during that same month. GAP labels the August figures as preliminary.
