The first Sunwing Airlines flights to the sun since January took off Friday from Toronto Pearson and Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau international airports. The inaugural flights marked Sunwing’s partial return to service amid Canada’s soaring vaccination rates, easing border measures, and increasing demand for travel.

Weekly service will initially be offered from Toronto and Montreal, with additional routes expected to follow.

“After a long seven months, we’re thrilled to be returning to the skies and bringing our customers back to the tropics,” commented Mark Williams, President of Sunwing Airlines.

“With vaccination rates continuing to climb nationwide, we’re seeing more pent-up demand for travel as Canadians plan their much-anticipated getaways,” added Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations at Sunwing.

He noted that the company is experiencing “unprecedented bookings” after a “year of uncertainly and stress” for customers during the pandemic.

Initial service is being offered from Toronto to Cancun, Punta Cana and Montego Bay, and from Montreal to Cancun and Punta Cana.

Sunwing will be operating additional gateways and destinations for the fall and winter season, with departures from numerous other Canadian cities beginning in October 2021.

The resumption of flights follows on the heels of a recent survey commissioned by Sunwing, which uncovered that more than half of Canadians (58%) are interested in returning to travel within the next 12 months, with over two-thirds (68%) expressing a desire to plan an all-inclusive vacation.

The tour company cautions that with demand for travel quickly outpacing availability, customers interested in headed south over the next few months should book now to reserve their spot at their preferred resort.