2021 Sunwing Airlines party incident

On December 30, 2021, Sunwing Airlines operated a charter flight from Montréal–Dorval International Airport to Cancún International Airport. During the flight, some passengers were unruly and may have violated Transport Canada and public health regulations which caused controversy. The flight was carrying a group consisting of mainly Quebec-based influencers and reality television stars. The behavior of passengers was criticized by numerous officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On January 4, 2022, the Ministers of Transportation, Health, and Public Safety announced a joint investigation of the flight with passengers facing fines of up to $5,000 per offence.

Background and flight

The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada where the Government of Canada introduced mask and vaccination requirements on aircraft. Further with the Omicron variant of concern increasing cases in Canada, the government advised against non-essential travel.

The flight was chartered by a private Montreal club for a 6-day excursion. The aircraft involved was at the time a 6-year old Boeing 737-800, registration C-FYJD carrying 130 people and was operated by Sunwing Airlines, a low-cost carrier specializing in flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and within Canada. Prior to boarding, 40 passengers were refused entry because they were not adequately vaccinated. During the flight, some passengers became unruly. They blocked aisles, removed their masks, smoked electronic cigarettes, and consumed alcohol. This violated public health and transport safety regulations posing a danger to the flight. In particular, the vaping was criticized as it could have deployed the onboard fire alarms. Several passengers tested positive for COVID-19. During the flight the situation deteriorated so much that flight attendants "had to hide at the back of the plane".