Honduras Election Month: Expect Protest Roadblocks

Published on Nov 7, 2025, 10:54 am CST

5 min read

Key points

Honduras holds national elections on November 30 and protest activity is expected before, during, and after
Roadblocks frequently target CA-5 near Palmerola International Airport and CA-13 near San Pedro Sula
Gathering points often include central squares in Tegucigalpa and Monumento a la Madre in San Pedro Sula
Allow added time for transfers to Palmerola and San Pedro Sula airports and monitor airline and bus advisories
Consider earlier departures, daylight travel, and alternate routings if road closures escalate

Impact

Airport Transfers: Plan generous buffers for Palmerola (XPL) and San Pedro Sula (SAP) transfers and keep a same-day backup
Likely Hotspots: Expect intermittent closures on CA-5 between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa and on CA-13 near San Pedro Sula
When To Travel: Favor morning, travel in daylight, and move airport runs forward if demonstrations are announced
Surface Transport: Confirm bus departures day-of-travel and use operator channels for reroutes or cancellations
Alternates: If roads gridlock, consider rebooking via Roatán or San Pedro Sula with a short domestic hop to final destination

Honduras enters election month with national voting set for November 30, and officials and allied advisories warn that demonstrations and intermittent roadblocks are possible before, during, and after polling day. Protest activity in recent cycles has commonly targeted key highways, including CA-5, the corridor that connects Tegucigalpa with the north and serves Palmerola International Airport, and CA-13 around San Pedro Sula. Travelers should avoid demonstration areas, allow extra time for airport transfers, and monitor local guidance and carrier updates through the period spanning late November and the first days of December .

Honduras Elections And Travel Impact

General elections are scheduled for November 30, 2025, with a competitive field and elevated political temperature compared with mid-year primaries. International and domestic monitors note the date and heightened attention on logistics and public order around voting and results windows . In the run-up to the vote, authorities and foreign ministries caution that demonstrations can arise with little notice and may shut down roads without reliable reopening timelines, a recurring feature of civic actions in Honduras .

Latest developments

In the final weeks before the election, protest actions have recently interrupted CA-5 near Comayagua, close to Palmerola, and have also appeared on approaches linking San Pedro Sula with its airport. These sites are consistent with prior embassy alerts that flagged blockages on CA-5 south of Comayagua and on CA-13 between San Pedro Sula and the airport area at La Lima . Safety notes from Canada's foreign ministry add that in San Pedro Sula, demonstrators often gather at Monumento a la Madre, which can ripple across central arterials and public transport lines .

Analysis

For air travelers, the main friction points are airport access roads and trunk corridors.

Tegucigalpa area (Palmerola International Airport). Palmerola International Airport (XPL), the primary international gateway for Tegucigalpa, sits roughly 54 miles northwest of the capital near Comayagua. Access commonly runs along CA-5, a frequent target for demonstrations. Embassy and State Department materials underscore that protests on CA-5 can force extended closures and that XPL access is part of that risk picture. If transfer windows look tight or alerts name the corridor, move your airport run earlier, travel in daylight, and keep fuel, water, and a communications plan ready. If CA-5 north of the capital hard-closes, options are limited, but waiting out a roadblock is typically safer than detouring on secondary roads after dark .

San Pedro Sula (Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport). San Pedro Sula's airport (SAP) lies east of the city near La Lima, with access that can be affected by actions on CA-13 and by gatherings in central SPS. Prior alerts cite CA-13 blockages toward the airport; Canada's advisory notes Monumento a la Madre as a common rally point. Leave early, monitor traffic via local radio and official posts, and consider alternate surface paths around the city if announced by local authorities. As with Tegucigalpa, avoid improvising unfamiliar secondary roads at night .

Likely gathering points and time windows. Demonstrations often center on city squares, government precincts, and highway choke points. In Tegucigalpa, government precincts around the National Congress and the CA-5 northern exit have featured in prior alerts. In San Pedro Sula, Monumento a la Madre and the CA-13 approaches toward the airport are recurring sites. Expect visible police presence and temporary closures around vote-related rallies from the days leading up to November 30 through the certification period immediately after, especially if early claims or recounts spur additional mobilization .

Diversion corridors and practical routing. When CA-5 or CA-13 face a closure, authorities sometimes funnel traffic to parallel city boulevards or temporarily open contraflow lanes, but these measures depend on local conditions and are communicated in real time. The safest tactic is to shift the timing of your transfer into earlier daylight windows rather than attempt long rural detours. If you must reposition, some travelers choose to route via San Pedro Sula or Roatán, then use a short domestic flight once roads ease, but this introduces inventory risk near the holiday period and should be coordinated with your airline or agent in advance .

Airline and bus advisories. U.S. carriers and regional airlines post rolling travel-alert and flexibility notices on their hubs; check these pages for any waiver windows or rebooking options tied to civil unrest or operational directives. For example, American Airlines maintains a consolidated travel-alerts page, and similar pages exist for other carriers serving Honduras. Intercity bus operators publish day-of travel changes on social channels; monitor official feeds for reroutes or cancellations before you head to a terminal .

Background Why are highways a focal point? In Honduras, highways like CA-5 and CA-13 are both economic arteries and symbolic platforms, so small groups can create outsized disruption by "taking" a road. Recent weeks included actions by transport contractors over election-related payments that briefly blocked CA-5, illustrating how quickly a localized dispute can affect national movement. Election periods concentrate these pressures as parties, unions, and civic groups seek visibility. Travelers should not interpret every closure as dangerous, however, the baseline advice remains to steer clear of protest sites and wait for official reopening when closures occur .

Final thoughts

Honduras election month brings a higher probability of protest-related roadblocks, with outsized impact on CA-5 and CA-13 and on airport access for Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. The simplest risk reducer is time: move transfers earlier, travel in daylight, and stay glued to official alerts and operator channels. With buffers and flexible plans, most trips proceed, even when rallies flare near November 30. Primary keyword: Honduras election protest roadblocks.