A group of Canadian passengers are still stranded in Cancun, Mexico, following a recent on-flight party that led to airlines refusing to fly them back to Canada. Let’s just say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not pleased and even called the actions ‘barbaric.’
Videos of the private charter flight party showed mask-less passengers partying, vaping, drinking and playing loud music— literally having the time of their lives with no cares in the world.
James Awad, the organizer of the event and founder of 111 Private Club, said everyone was tested for COVID-19 before boarding the flight. Awad added that he chartered a Sunwing Airline plane so that it would only be filled with travelers for the event.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has denounced the event as a “slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their fellow citizens, putting airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible”. In a briefing, Trudeau added that he was “extremely frustrated” with the news.
Transport Canada is now investigating the incident.
In a statement, Sunwing Airline said that “the passengers’ behavior was unruly and contravened several Canadian Aviation Regulations as well as public health regulations.” The airline claimed to present conditions for the return flight, but the group refused to accept them. Following this, the return flight was canceled to ensure the safety of all onboard. Alongside Sunwing Airlines, Air Canada and Air Transit have both confirmed that they will not fly travelers home due to safety concerns of other passengers.
While the video shows an overwhelming number of unruly passengers disregarding the outlined protocols, there were passengers on flight who refrained from joining but still remain stranded in Cancun, Mexico.
In response to the widespread disappointment by the public, authorities and Canadian PM— Awad said, “this was my first travel event. I have significantly learned, and I am still learning from this experience.”
In a statement released on Twitter, Awad explains that “I agreed to every demand, including multiple in-flight guardians, I assured them every measure would be followed, but we couldn’t conclude an agreement because Sunwing refused to provide meals to the group for a 5-hour flight.”
Earlier this week, Transport Canada revealed that passengers could face possible fines of up to $5,000 Canadian dollars per offense. Additionally, the department also warned that any traveler convicted of providing false information to the government upon entry to Canada could face steep fines or even jail time.