Sunwing issues update on grounded 737 MAX 8 fleet

Following Transport Canada's groundings on all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 airplanes in Canada back on Mar. 13, Sunwing has released an update on the state of its operations.

At the time the groundings were announced, Sunwing had four 737 MAX 8s in its fleet.

In a press release, Sunwing wrote:

"We recognize that given the timeline for the return to service of this aircraft type is currently unknown, that our customers may be feeling uncertainty regarding their future travel plans.

In order to optimize our operations and provide our customers and travel agency partners with additional reassurance, we have taken the decision to invest in additional flying capacity and reconfigure our schedule without this aircraft type until further notice."

Schedule changes in effect

Schedule changes for departures up to and including May 17^th have now been made and are reflected in flight times on Sunwing's website and across the reservation system. 

The airline says that guests whose travel plans have been affected we will also be communicated with directly, or via their travel agents.

"We are currently still finalizing any schedule adjustments beyond this departure date and are confident that that these changes will have minimal impact on our operations and on customer experience. Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft make up less than 10% of our fleet.

We appreciate the patience of our retail partners and customers while we work to communicate these updates."

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!