Six Sunwing party plane passengers fined for not being fully vaccinated

The Sunwing party plane saga may finally be reaching its final stop.

On Tuesday, Transport Canada announced six passengers on the infamous Sunwing Airline flight were fined for not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when they boarded the rowdy flight from Montreal to Cancun on December 30.

The federal transport department says the investigation is still ongoing and further fines may be issued in the coming days and weeks.

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Transport Canada did not disclose how much the six passengers were fined for not being fully vaccinated and did not mention any punishments for the behaviour on the flight, only that the fines were related to certain passengers being unvaccinated.

Since November 30 across Canada, the federal government requires all passengers over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to board a commercial flight, train, or cruise ship.

At the time of the infamous media frenzy, Transport Canada threatened to fine any and all unvaccinated travellers on the flight $5,000.

On December 30, videos of a party on a privately chartered flight full of Quebec social media influencers and actors went viral. The airline which hosted the flight, Sunwing, declined the partiers’ return flight out of Cancun a few days later, citing a breach in their contract. Passengers were also recorded breaking several airline codes, including dancing in aisles, not wearing masks, drinking alcohol, and smoking e-cigarettes

In Tuesday’s news release, the federal agency says passengers could face “multiple penalties” for different in-fight offences.

Canada’s Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, says certain behaviours on the flight were “unacceptable,” justifying why Transport Canada took “took immediate action.”

“Aviation rules must be respected by everyone, for the sake of everyone’s safety,” he concluded. “Transport Canada will continue to investigate and issue all necessary penalties.”