Some Alberta flights to Mazatlán grounded, others still scheduled amid civil unrest in Mexico

Canadians in Mexico were advised to take shelter when cartel violence broke out in the country's northwest on Thursday, following the arrest of a known cartel member.

Some planes from Calgary and Edmonton to Mazatlán that were scheduled to take off Friday have now been cancelled, one day after violence broke out in the region on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Sunwing flights to Mazatlán International Airport from Calgary and Edmonton were initially delayed for as much as half a day Friday, before both were cancelled just after noon.

Meanwhile in a statement to Global News, budget airline Swoop said it is monitoring the civil unrest in Sinaloa state “closely” and will make operational changes due to safety as necessary.

“We advise all travelers currently in the region to follow all response instructions provided by local authorities,” the email read.

As of Friday afternoon, a Swoop flight from Edmonton to Mazatlán was still scheduled to depart at 7:20 p.m. Saturday, and a Westjet flight from Calgary was set to depart just after 2 p.m. Saturday.

WestJet also cancelled a flight between Mazatlán and Vancouver set to take off Friday afternoon.

“As the situation continues to evolve, we will make operational changes in the name of safety as necessary. We advise all guests currently in the region to follow all response instructions provided by local authorities,” WestJet said in a statement.

Canadians in Mexico were advised to take shelter when cartel violence broke out in the country’s northwest on Thursday, following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman — son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.