Hurricane Milton’s passage through the northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula, with winds of around 155 miles per hour (250 km/h), is causing disruptions to air operations in Mexico, although most of the disruptions involve aircraft diverting their routes to avoid the eye of the storm.
As of the time of this publication (10:15 GMT), only two aircraft from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are flying in the area: a Gulfstream IV (NOAA49) and a Lockheed WP-3D Orion (NOAA43).
However, the only Mexican airport that has had to suspend operations is Mérida, which has not recorded any flights since yesterday, Monday, at 3:00 PM local time.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT), the other nine airports located along the Gulf of Mexico coast, including Matamoros, Tampico, Campeche, Cancún, Ciudad del Carmen, Chichen Itzá, Villahermosa, Jalapa, Minatitlán, and Poza, have not reported any disruptions.
At Mérida Airport, approximately 50 flights were canceled yesterday, affecting around 1,800 passengers. As of today, 35 flights are listed as canceled between arrivals and departures.
At Cancún Airport, the most important in the Yucatan Peninsula, nearly 350 flights are scheduled for today, with only a few cancellations, including some operations from Westjet, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines.
«The reports from the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of Mexico indicated this morning that Hurricane Milton has intensified to Category 5 and continues to move toward Florida, United States,» added the SICT.
On the other side of the Gulf, preparations continue for Milton’s arrival. Airports in Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Punta Gorda, among others, will close this morning.
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