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Fog Disruptions Persist Across Mexico as Viva Aerobus Halts Tijuana Departures

Safety visibility thresholds, coupled with scarce low-visibility technology, are constraining operations despite gradual clearing.

Overview

  • Conagua reported banks of fog at at least eight airports, including Tijuana, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Mérida, and several terminals in Tamaulipas, with visibility reductions expected.
  • Viva Aerobus canceled all departures from Tijuana on Dec. 18 and paused some inbound flights, citing dense fog and knock-on effects across its route network.
  • Volaris said winter fog has triggered cascading delays across many airports in its network, in some cases exceeding 10 hours, and it is offering route changes, vouchers or refunds.
  • Tijuana’s airport operator tallied 393 affected operations in recent days; although more flights departed Thursday as conditions improved, many passengers remain delayed.
  • Mexico’s air traffic controllers’ union said at least 800 meters of visibility are required for safe landings and noted that few airports have systems to operate in near-zero visibility, slowing recovery.