Cancun, Quintana Roo — Severe weather in the United States forced the cancellation or delay of 13 flights between New York and Cancun on Saturday, including the commercial Delta Air Lines flight that President Claudia Sheinbaum was scheduled to take to attend the World Cup final.
Airports of the Southeast (Asur), which operates Cancun International Airport, reported nine delays and four cancellations affecting flights operated by United Airlines, JetBlue, and Delta.
Among the delayed flights were five arrivals — four from United Airlines and one from JetBlue — originating from Newark, Houston, and New York. Four departures — three from United and one from JetBlue — bound for Newark, San Francisco, and New York were also delayed.
The four cancellations involved two arrivals from Newark and New York (one United, one Delta) and two departures to those same destinations on the same airlines.
One of the canceled departures was Delta flight 2973, which President Sheinbaum planned to board. Originally scheduled for 3:40 p.m., it was postponed to 5:25 p.m. before being canceled entirely.
The cancellation does not mean Sheinbaum will skip her trip to the United States. She accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend the 2026 World Cup final and has announced she will travel on a Mexican military aircraft instead.
The change in plans allowed Sheinbaum to attend a housing event in Cancun — the delivery of 240 homes under the Viviendas para el Bienestar program — where her presence had previously been canceled.
The New York and New Jersey area is currently experiencing heavy rain and thunderstorms, causing flooding in several locations. Poor air quality due to wildfires has also been reported, disrupting air travel.
