As a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, Volaris , Viva Aerobus and Aeroméxico reported that they have cancelled their operations to the Mérida International Airport.
Volaris has so far cancelled eight flights to the capital of Yucatan from Mexico City International Airport, Felipe Ángeles Airport (AIFA) and Guadalajara.
“Due to the passage of Hurricane Milton, we have had impacts on our operations to and from the Mérida International Airport. For us, your safety will always be the most important thing, which is why we will resume operations until conditions allow it,” Volaris informed through its social networks.
Aeromexico also reported that six flights to that destination have been cancelled and activated its passenger protection policy.
For its part, Viva Aerobus cancelled 16 flights to and from Mérida, “we urge our passengers to take extreme precautions, especially at the airports of Villahermosa, Veracruz, Cancún, Orlando and Miami due to the presence of heavy rains.”
According to the National Meteorological Service , at 10:00 hours this Monday, Milton intensified into a Category 5 hurricane , located 130 kilometers (km) northwest of Celestún and 170 km west-northwest of Progreso, both towns in Yucatán, with winds of 280 kilometers per hour (km/h), gusts of 330 km/h, and moving east at 15 km/h.
He also indicated that, considering the cone of uncertainty and low pressure over Yucatan, and due to its movement towards the northern coast of Campeche and Yucatan, it is expected that tonight the center of the hurricane could impact between Celestún and Progreso, Yucatan.
The cloud bands of the system will affect northern Campeche, Yucatan, and northern Quintana Roo.
After the probable impact, he explained, the center of the system is expected to move along the coast of Yucatan to the north of Quintana Roo, where it could change direction to the northeast, and by Wednesday head towards Florida, United States.
The effects of this system on the Yucatan Peninsula will be intense winds of 180 to 200 km/h, waves of 6 to 8 meters high and intense to torrential rains and possible waterspouts. In addition, he said, its cloud bands will leave torrential rains of 200 to 250 millimeters (mm) in Campeche and Yucatan, and 150 to 200 mm in Quintana Roo, as well as heavy rains in Tabasco.
For the above reasons, a hurricane prevention zone is maintained from Celestún to Río Lagartos, Yucatán; a hurricane surveillance zone from Río Lagartos to Cabo Catoche, Yucatán, and from Campeche, Campeche, to Celestún, Yucatán. As well as a tropical storm prevention zone from Río Lagartos, Yucatán, to Cancún, Quintana Roo.
At 3:36 p.m. Central Time, the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SICT) reported through its X account that the Mérida International Airport closed operations precisely due to the presence of Milton.
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