Canadian influencers who partied maskless on a plane and got stranded in Mexico return home to face the music
- Canadian officials were outraged by videos that showed people partying on a charter flight to Mexico.
- The government is investigating over concerns that COVID-19 and air safety laws were broken.
Part of a group of Canadian influencers who were captured on video partying on a charter flight to Mexico — and then couldn't get anyone to fly them home — have finally returned to Canada, where the government said it has launched an inquiry into the ordeal.
Canadian authorities said at least 27 of the passengers returned to the country on Friday were stopped by Canadian border guards for questioning and COVID-19 testing, the Ottawa Sun reported.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a statement his department launched an investigation into the "allegations of non-compliance with COVID-19 and air safety rules and regulations."
Duclo said passengers could face fines of up to $5,000 ($3,955 USD) for each offense and that the Quebec police department was also investigating.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously called the passengers "idiots" and said the ordeal was a "slap in the face," the Associated Press reported.
Videos of the flight, shared by Le Journal de Montréal's Francis Pilon, show the group of over 100 passengers dancing down aisles, passing around Grey Goose vodka, and vaping e-cigarettes on a December 30 flight from Montreal to Cancun.
The passengers – a group that included reality TV stars and social media personalities – were so rowdy that flight attendants tried to avoid the cabin, Pilon reported.
Sunwing, the airline that flew the group to Mexico, later canceled their return flight, Insider's Matthew Loh reported. Other airlines also declined to fly them home, citing concerns for the safety of other passengers and flight crews.
The organizer of the group said in a statement Sunwing canceled because they couldn't agree on conditions for the flight home. He also said everyone on the flight was tested for COVID-19 before boarding the plane to Mexico.