Sunwing Airlines
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 Sunwing Boeing 737 MAX 8 | |||||||
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| Founded | November 17, 2005 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | November 17, 2005 | ||||||
Ceased operations | May 28, 2025 | ||||||
| AOC # | Canada: 15022,[2] United States: U6WF143F[3] | ||||||
Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 9[4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 54[5] | ||||||
| Parent company |
| ||||||
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||||
| Key people | Len Corrado (president) | ||||||
| Employees | 1,500 (2015) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Sunwing Airlines Inc, d/b/a Sunwing, was a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Toronto, Ontario with its main bases at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Originally owned by Sunwing Travel Group, from 2023 onwards it was a subsidiary of WestJet,[6] with which it merged on May 28, 2025.[7][8]
History
Foundation and early years
By 2004, Sunwing Vacations had become the second largest tour operator in Ontario. That year, a former Skyservice employee named Mark Williams approached the CEO of Sunwing Travel Group, Colin Hunter, and asked if he wanted to start an airline.[9]
In November 2005, a Boeing 737-800 departing from Toronto to Santiago de Cuba was the airline's inaugural flight.[10] In December 2005, Sunwing flew its first direct flight from Sudbury, Ontario to Varadero, Cuba, making it one of the first international flights directly from the Sudbury Airport.[11]
In November 2006, the company flew its first flight out of Montreal.[12] By 2008, Sunwing had grown to operate in 29 cities.[13]
Development since 2010
In June, 2012, an unnamed individual and Transat A.T. submitted information to the Canadian Transportation Agency that was believed to challenge Sunwing's ability to operate an airline on the grounds of foreign ownership. In November 2012, the CTA announced that Sunwing operated within foreign ownership limits.[14]
In 2015, it was announced that Sunwing had finalized a $350 million deal to acquire two Boeing 737-800 and four Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Air Lease Corporation. The aircraft were due to be delivered over a four-year period from early 2016.[15] Seneca College and the University of Waterloo launched a partnership with Sunwing in 2016 to form a cadet program which includes flight training and mentoring through Sunwing.[16]
Sunwing joined the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) expedited screening program, TSA PreCheck, in January 2017. At that time, the TSA PreCheck program was available at 180 United States airports and works with 30 airlines.[17]
Sunwing received its first Boeing 737 MAX, a 737 MAX 8, on May 25, 2018.[18]
As of 2023, Sunwings offered buy on board service,[19] after previously providing free meals on longer flights.[20]
In March 2023, Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra approved the takeover of Sunwing and Sunwing Vacations by WestJet[21] with the acquisition completed in May 2023. On June 17, 2023, WestJet announced that they would merge Sunwing with the mainline business - the transition could take up to two years.[22][23] In May 2024, WestJet announced it would fully incorporate Sunwing's operations in 2025.[8] Sunwing operated its last flight on May 28, 2025, flight WG9078, a return from lease of a Boeing 737 OK-TVV of Smartwings (with Sunwing registered as C-GKVV) from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Václav Havel Airport Prague.
Destinations
Sunwing offered scheduled and charter services from Canada and the United States to destinations within the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America in the winter months. The most popular destinations included Varadero, Punta Cana, Cancún, and Montego Bay. Its former parent company, the Sunwing Travel Group, is Cuba's largest travel provider internationally, sending over 700,000 vacationers to the destination each year.[24][25]
In Canada, the airline operated several domestic routes, including a daily Toronto to Vancouver flight, as well as maintaining year-round service to its most popular destinations. Other connections included Deer Lake, Gander, and St John's from Toronto.[26] As of summer 2015, the airline operated service to Caribbean destinations from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Houston, Lansing, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Rockford.[27]
During the summer months, the company offered domestic services across Canada.[28][29] The company also operates seasonal flight services from 23 local Canadian gateways, such as CFB Bagotville, Calgary International Airport, Deer Lake Regional Airport, Edmonton International Airport, Fredericton International Airport, Gander International Airport, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Kelowna International Airport, Region of Waterloo International Airport, London International Airport, Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport, Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, Regina International Airport, Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, St. John's International Airport, Thunder Bay International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Windsor International Airport, and Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.[30]
Sunwing flew to the following destinations at the time of its merger with WestJet:[31]
Fleet
Current fleet
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At the time of its merger with WestJet, Sunwing operated an all-Boeing 737 fleet composed of the following aircraft listed below.[4] Although they have only 9 aircraft registered with Transport Canada, they state on their website that they have over 40.[33]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers[33] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 5 | — | 189 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 4 | — | ||
| Total | 9 | — | ||
During the summer, Sunwing regularly sent several of their aircraft over to Europe to operate for the TUI Group and Smartwings during their extremely busy season. The aircraft operated flights all around Europe for the two companies. This was reciprocated during the winter months with TUI and Smartwings leasing out several aircraft to Canada to operate Sunwing routes.
Former fleet
.jpg)
Sunwing formerly also operated the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 767-300ER | 2 | 2012 | 2012 | 300ER series on seasonal lease from EuroAtlantic Airways. |
Accidents and incidents
- On July 25, 2014, a Sunwing Boeing 737-800, flight 772 from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Scarlett Martínez International Airport, was forced to return to Toronto after a passenger made a bomb threat. The plane was escorted by a United States Air Force plane and it landed safely. The passenger was arrested and was said to be mentally ill after being examined by medical personnel.[34] The same flight was delayed again after a passenger fainted.[35]
- On July 21 2017, Thomson Airways Flight 1526, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Sunwing Airlines, struck runway approach lights on departure from Belfast International Airport, due to an incorrect temperature input into the aircraft's flight computer, leading to an under-performance on takeoff. The aircraft continued to Corfu uneventfully, and the incident was only noticed when ground crew saw damage to the light fixtures. The incident led to several recommendations for new monitoring systems and equipment certifications.[36][37]
- On January 5, 2018, a Sunwing Boeing 737-800 (registration C-FPRP), which was being taxied with no passengers, struck WestJet Flight 2425, a Boeing 737-800 (registration C-FDMB) flight from Cancún International Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport, while parked and on approach to the gate. Fire crews put out a small fire on the Sunwing aircraft.[38]
- In December 2016, a pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Sunwing flight and charged after it was determined that he was drunk.[39] A police spokesman indicated that it was Sunwing staff that determined the pilot was impaired and implied that his license would be revoked.[40]
- On December 30, 2021, a Sunwing Boeing 737-800 (registration C-FYJD)[41] was operating Sunwing Flight 2283, a charter flight from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport to Cancún International Airport. On board the flight a group of influencers started to become unruly on board the flight and began to consume their own alcohol, use electronic cigarettes, with other passengers alleging that drugs were being consumed on the aircraft[42] as well as non-compliance of orders from Transport Canada surrounding mask-wearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. In the aftermath of this event, Sunwing canceled the charter flight back to Montreal with other Canadian airlines, Air Transat[43] and flag carrier Air Canada[42] stating that passengers who were on Flight 2283 would be denied boarding. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said that Flight 2283 was, "a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their fellow citizens, putting airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible". Federal Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra and Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino released a joint statement and directing both of their respective departments to investigate the events of Flight 2283.[42]
Trivia
- Sunwing's boarding music consisted of various covers sung by Colin Hunter, the airline's founder.[44]
References
- 1 2 "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. May 20, 2025. p. 7. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
Sunwing Airlines: SWG, SUNWING
- ↑ Transport Canada (26 August 2019), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
- ↑ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- 1 2 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Sunwing Airlines". Transport Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Sunwing Airlines on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ↑ "WestJet Group completes acquisition of Sunwing". WestJet. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ↑ "WestJet flights for Sunwing Vacations packages starting May 29". www.travelweek.ca. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- 1 2 ctvnews.ca - WestJet delays merger with Sunwing Airlines to 2025 21 May 2024
- ↑ Savedra, Jen (July 17, 2006). "Sunwing "Does it Differently"". TravelHotNews. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Sunwing Airline Soars From Toronto Pearson" (PDF). Toronto Pearson Today. February 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ Sunwing Travel - Greater Sudbury Canada to Varadero every Wednesday, Havana Journal/Northern Life, December 28, 2005
- ↑ Chiasson, Uguette; Beauregard, Chantal (November 6, 2006). "Sunwing's Inaugural Flight Out of Montreal to Punta Cana". TravelHotNews. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "New Carrier, Renovation for Windsor Airport". The Windsor Star. May 28, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ Deveau, Scott (November 6, 2012). "Sunwing Survives Foreign Ownership Challenge by Transat". Financial Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ↑ "MAX for Sunwing". Airliner World: 13. February 2015.
- ↑ "Sunwing's cadet program taking flight again". Pax News. February 24, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Sunwing awarded entry into TSA PreCheck screening program". Travel Week. January 27, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Sunwing Travel Group". Sunwingtravelgroup.com.
- ↑ "Award-winning inflight service | Sunwing Airlines".
- ↑ "Meals on sun destination flights: An endangered species". April 4, 2014.
- ↑ "WestJet's acquisition of Sunwing Airlines cleared for takeoff by Ottawa". globalnews.ca.
- ↑ Chen, Andrew (June 19, 2023). "WestJet Shutting Down Sunwing Airlines – AirlineGeeks.com". AirlineGeeks.com – LIVE. LOVE. AVIATION. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ↑ "WestJet to shut down Sunwing Airlines". Reuters. June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ↑ "U.S. Visitors to Cuba Will Accelerate With 12 Categories For Licenses". TravelWeek News. December 18, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Csanady, Ashley (December 17, 2017). "It's About to Get a Lot More Crowded and Costly on Cuba's Beaches". Canada.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Sunwing Ups Domestic Schedule, Offers Daily Toronto-Vancouver Flight". TravelWeek. January 22, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Smith, Kendea (June 2, 2015). "Sunwing Airlines connects Houston Texas to Freeport Grand Bahama". The Bahamas Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Sunwing Airlines". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ Dixon, Guy (January 25, 2016). "How to Prevent the Sinking Dollar From Grounding Your Vacation". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Destination Travel Guide". Sunwing.ca. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ↑ Sunwing Airlines destinations
- ↑ "Sunwing Airlines anunció vuelos entre Montreal y San Andrés". www.xn--elisleo-9za.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- 1 2 "Our Aircraft". Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Passenger's alleged bomb threat forces Sunwing flight back to Pearson". Toronto.citynews.ca. July 25, 2014.
- ↑ "Passengers Diverted Again After Seeing SWAT Team Rush First Plane". ABC News. July 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Aircraft Accident Report AAR 2/2018 - C-FWGH, 21July 2017". GOV.UK. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
- ↑ Benard, Bart (2019). "Take-Off performance incidents: do we need to accept them or can we avoid them?" (PDF). ISASI Technical Papers.
- ↑ "2 planes collide on the ground at Toronto's airport". Wsvn.com.
- ↑ "'That's why we're sitting? Because we have a drunk pilot?': Passengers speak out after Sunwing pilot removed from flight". Calgary Sun. January 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Drunk pilot arrested in Canadian cockpit before take-off". BBC News. January 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24.com.
- 1 2 3 Ann, Virginie (January 5, 2022). "Airlines won't fly home Quebec passengers from Sunwing party flight to Mexico". CP24.com.
- ↑ @airtransat (January 5, 2022). "1/2 We are aware of the situation regarding disruptive passengers who have traveled to Cancun and are now attemptin…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Delean, Paul (August 16, 2016). "Sunwing's chairman of the board does it his way". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
External links
Media related to Sunwing Airlines at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Defunct airlines of Canada
- Air Transport Association of Canada
- Defunct low-cost airlines of Canada
- Airlines established in 2005
- Airlines disestablished in 2025
- Charter airlines of Canada
- Companies based in Etobicoke
- 2005 establishments in Ontario
- 2025 disestablishments in Ontario
- Canadian companies established in 2005
- Canadian companies disestablished in 2025
- TUI Group
- 2023 mergers and acquisitions
- WestJet