Mexico National Riot: Air, Sea & Land Transport Shutdown – Full Impact & Updates

Publish Time: 2026-02-26 Origin: Site

Urgent Alert! Mexico is facing nationwide riots, with air, sea and land transport completely disrupted. This sudden security crisis has severely impacted the country’s logistics network and international supply chains, bringing significant risks to cross-border trade and cargo transportation.

1. Background: Riot Trigger & Affected Areas

On February 22, the Mexican military launched a raid against the drug cartel "Jalisco New Generation Cartel" (CJNG) in Jalisco state, confirming the killing of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. This operation quickly triggered large-scale retaliatory violent activities by the organization, spreading to multiple regions including Jalisco, Colima, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Veracruz and Tamaulipas.

Violent incidents are mainly manifested in road blockades, arson of commercial vehicles and damage to some facilities, directly impacting port operations, airport cargo transport, highway transportation and warehousing systems in western Mexico. The regional logistics network once entered an abnormal operation state.

2. Full Impact on Air, Sea & Land Transport

2.1 Sea Transport: Manzanillo Port Suspended Temporarily, Gradually Recovering

As the largest container gateway on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Manzanillo Port temporarily suspended ship traffic and closed all entrances and exits on February 22 due to security concerns. The port is a key node connecting Asia, Mexico and even North American supply chains, accounting for 43% of Mexico’s total container market share.

Its shutdown directly interrupted ship berthing, terminal loading and unloading, and gate container pickup operations, creating significant pressure on the customs clearance progress and inland distribution of imported containers.

Subsequently, the port gradually resumed operations under tight security measures such as enhanced military patrols and controlled access. However, due to the backlog of ships caused by the initial port closure and extended operation time due to upgraded security inspections, the port still faces pressure of berthing delays and slow yard turnover in the short term. Inland collection and distribution efficiency is also significantly affected by road blockades.

2.2 Air Transport: Guadalajara Airport Cargo Transport Restricted

Guadalajara International Airport (GDL), an important cargo hub in Latin America, saw a large number of flight cancellations during the riot peak, including multiple cargo flights. Major U.S. and Canadian airlines also suspended flights to Guadalajara, further affecting air cargo capacity (about 50% of air cargo is carried by passenger flights by weight).

Starting from February 23, the airport reopened under tight security, but the cargo transport link still faces multiple challenges. Roads to and from the airport are blocked at some times, reducing the flexibility of truck dispatching; the attendance rate of airport cargo terminal staff is also affected, and there are temporary adjustments to flight schedules.

Enterprises handling air cargo through Guadalajara Airport need to anticipate the risks of tight cabin space and cargo backlog in the short term. Some emergency cargo has been considered to be diverted to airports such as Mexico City, Querétaro and Monterrey, but security inspections on some northern routes have also been strengthened, increasing the difficulty of overall capacity scheduling. Notably, cargo transport in the Guadalajara area is mainly by highway, lacking core railway alternative routes, so road safety has become a key variable affecting cargo flow.

2.3 Highway & Warehousing: Western Industrial Corridor Disrupted

This incident has particularly impacted the logistics corridor connecting Guadalajara, the Pacific coast and the Bajío industrial zone. Highways in multiple states have experienced blockades and vehicle arson, leading to unstable trunk line transportation timeliness, delays in container pickup and delivery, and obstacles to cross-state truck dispatching.

Some warehouses in the Guadalajara area suspended the first shift during the red alert period, and subsequent shifts resumed based on safety assessments. Restrictions on personnel travel also directly affected warehouse loading and unloading efficiency.

In response to the emergency, many international logistics companies, including Kuehne+Nagel, have activated emergency management mechanisms, strengthening real-time security monitoring, route verification and dynamic rerouting, in-transit cargo tracking, and customer early warning notifications. Relevant enterprises stated that they will continue to monitor the situation and issue updates as needed.

3. Current Situation: Turmoil Eases, Logistics Recovery Takes Time

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the national situation has basically stabilized, highway blockades have been cleared, and all flights are expected to resume fully. By the evening of February 22, about 90% of the 229 road blockades across the country had been cleared, and only 23 roadblocks remained, which have been included in the control scope.

However, from the perspective of logistics practice, the ship schedule disruption caused by the port shutdown still takes several days to resolve; the recovery of air cargo space requires gradual clearance of backlogged goods; the recovery of highway transportation confidence and dispatching also needs to be observed.

Although this sudden security incident has eased, it has formed a phased impact on the international supply chain in western Mexico. For enterprises relying on Manzanillo Port to import goods from Asia or using Guadalajara Airport for high-value-added cargo transport, it is recommended to closely monitor the operation dynamics in the next week, maintain high-frequency communication with logistics service providers, reasonably reserve transportation buffer time, and evaluate alternative port and airport plans to reduce potential delay risks.