Minister wants rowdy flight probed

MONTREAL Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of “unacceptable” behaviour on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico.

Videos of the Dec. 30 flight shared on social media appear to show passengers not wearing masks as they gather in close proximity, singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats.

In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to be passed among passengers, and later a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette.

According to reports, the plane had been chartered and some of the passengers were cast members from Quebec reality television shows.

Later Tuesday, Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino issued a joint statement which said all three ministers have directed their departments to investigate.

Sunwing said in an emailed statement that passenger behaviour “was unruly and contravened several Canadian Aviation Regulations as well as public health regulations.”

The airline said it provided the tour group leader conditions to ensure the safety of passengers and crew on the return flight to Montreal, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, the group did not accept all of the terms. As a result of our ongoing investigation and the group’s refusal to accept all terms of carriage, we have made the decision to cancel the return flight.”

On Instagram, 111 Private Club took credit, describing the allinclusive trip as the “best event of the year.” It posted a screenshot of a newspaper article about the flight with the caption, “we made the news.”

James William Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, did not respond to a request for comment sent through Facebook.