Sunwing Airlines, a Canadian low-cost airline, made its first takeoff from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) after almost an eight-month-long break related to the COVID-19 air travel restrictions. The flight to a tropical destination in the Dominican Republic outlined the official Sunwing Airlines return to service.
With the flight, numbered as WG434, to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), Dominican Republic, completed on November 6, 2020, Sunwing Airline symbolically marked the relaunch of its operations after a complete grounding for over 230 days. According to FlightRadar24.com data, the very first flight after the break was completed using a Boeing 737 jet, registered as C-GLRN.
In a statement released on November 9, 2020, the airline announced that in addition to Toronto (YYZ) – Punta Cana (PUJ) route, it would operate more regular tropical destinations including Montego Bay (BMJ) on Fridays and Saturdays weekly as well as Cancun (CUN), Mexico twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays.
“We are thrilled to be bringing Canadians back to paradise onboard Sunwing Airlines. After months of staying home and with colder weather just around the corner, many Canadians are eager to return to the tropics. We are excited to be back in the skies, helping sun-seekers travel safely and responsibly,” said Mark Williams, the President of Sunwing Airlines, in a press release.
Sunwing Airlines also announced some changes in its inner healthcare policy. In order to ensure health safety, the Canadian air carrier stepped into partnership with Medcan, a medical consultation company, earlier in September 2020. The two companies have launched a health care program Safe with Sunwing, following which the airline committed to providing support for both passengers and employees in health and safety planning.
Under the program, Sunwing committed to providing for passengers transfer buses that travel to and from hotels as well as over 30 Sunwing-owned hotels throughout its tropical destinations, which follows „the highest Canadian health and safety standards“, claimed the airline. The low-cost carrier also announced that to control and prevent the growth of bacteria on surfaces, Sunwing equipped the whole of its fleet of 16 Boeing 737 aircraft with an antimicrobial spray.