Vampires in Guadalajara: The Airport’s Mosquito Problem Explained
Living somewhere tropical is the dream for many. But, with the good, usually there is always some bad. Warmer climates can experience humidity, and with that humidity comes mosquitos.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, mosquitos reproduce around places with water. Meaning they can breed in puddles, lakes, streams, moist soil and places that experience flooding.
Unfortunately for the folks of a recent Volaris flight departing Guadalajara, their flight was delayed due to a slight mosquito infestation on their flight.
Seems like the mosquitos were hoping for free food and a reasonably priced flight out of Guadalajara
PEOPLE reports that a Volaris flight from Guadalajara to Mexico City had been delayed due to a swarm of mosquitos that decided they also wanted to travel to Mexico’s capital.
Elizabeth Esmeralda Minjarez Corona, a passenger on the flight, recorded flight attendants walking through the cabin spraying repellant to help neutralize the mosquitos.
The New York Post reports that the flight was set to take off from Guadalajara at 4:30 p.m. However, due to the swarm of mosquitos on the plane, passengers experienced a two-hour flight delay. The takeoff was pushed back to 7 p.m.
The invasion of unsolicited winged amigos is reportedly because the airport is near moist and fertile land
El Sol de Leon states that because of the surrounding area, the airport is prone to many infestations. It’s a perfect storm of puddles, vegetation, nearby bodies of water and a tropical climate.
Mosquitoes are so prevalent in the area that AccuWeather has a mosquito activity reader.
In a 2018 report, the Guadalajara Reporter notes they have become such an issue that the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico would conduct a biological study for better understanding.
The group notes that the mosquito infestation in the area is due to “the large number of water and untreated sewage deposits” near the airport. They added the El Ahogado Dam as another significant contributor to the problem.
The group also noted that they would adjust the airport’s air conditioning temperatures to deter the winged pests. Large-scale fumigations were also conducted.
Upon seeing the video of the swarm, folks guessed it was a plane leaving Guadalajara
In response to a New York Post reel, some accurately guessed it was a flight leaving the Guadalajara airport.
Manu Cortes, a blogger, commented, “When I saw this video, my first thought was ‘Must be in Guadalajara.’”
He continued, “[A]fter reading the article, yes, it was in Guadalajara LOL [T]hat airport is close a lake or something, but mosquitoes are everywhere specially during early morning flights. I hate that lol.”
Another person responded to Cortes, “I thought the exact same thing.” A second person responded that the lake by the airport was “Lake Chapala.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a flight has had mosquitos
In 2022, mitú reported that a flight leaving Guadalajara to Monterrey had a swarm of mosquitoes seeking a free getaway. A video shared by La Diva De México shows passengers swatting the air to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
mitú shared that Instagram user Berenice Guzman explained why mosquitoes boarding flights are so common at the Guadalajara airport.
“There are no tunnels that connect with the planes. The passengers must walk a part of the runway to get up and down the stairs to get into a plane which keeps the door open all that time,” she explains.
User Arturo Monroy commented, “Cheap can be expensive,” as Volaris in known as a discount airline.
