MINNEAPOLIS – Airlines flying between the Twin Cities and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, have scrapped flights Monday amid unrest that broke out in Mexico following the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in a military operation.

Delta Air Lines has canceled two flights from the Twin Cities to the popular tourist destination Monday. On Sunday, two flights that took off for the Mexican city returned to the Twin Cities.

Sun Country Airlines also had two flights diverted on Sunday, and they eventually returned to the Twin Cities, according to data on the flight tracking website FlightAware.

A Sun Country flight to Puerto Vallarta at 7:24 a.m. Monday has been cancelled, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport website.

“Our priority is the safety of our customers, and we are working to get passengers to and from their destination when safe,” a Sun Country spokesperson said in an email. “If customers do have travel booked to Puerto Vallarta, change fees are currently being waived for this situation.”

The airline said it was working with local authorities to determine when it would be safe to resume operations.

Delta, the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, issued a travel advisory saying travelers with trips in, out or through Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara may be impacted due to civil unrest through Feb. 26.

“The safety of our customers and crew always comes first and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region,” a Delta spokesperson said. “We have taken steps to adjust our operation accordingly and coordinate with local airport officials while working to communicate with impacted customers.”

Travelers on Monday and Tuesday were advised to closely monitor their flight status, Delta said. The airline also issued a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights

On Sunday, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” was wounded in an operation to capture him in Jalisco. He died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Violence erupted across Mexico, prompting the U.S. State Department to tell Americans in the Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State, areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State to shelter in place until further notice.

A major winter storm on the U.S. East Coast also is wreaking havoc with air travel Monday. More than 5,000 flights in the United States have been cancelled or delayed on Monday, according to FlightAware.

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