‘Unruly’ passengers removed from Mexico-bound flight at YVR

A pilot taxis a WestJet Boeing 737-700 plane to a gate after arriving at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Monday, Feb. 3, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Some travelers at Vancouver International Airport had their sunny vacations delayed Saturday morning after police had to be called in to deal with misbehaving passengers on a Mexico-bound flight.

The RCMP responded to “reports of a group of passengers behaving in an unruly manner,” onboard flight WS2662 at 7:30 a.m., a YVR spokesperson told CTV News in an email.

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet said flight attendants “identified a safety concern regarding several unruly passengers” and made the decision to have them removed.

“The passengers were alleged to be non‑compliant with flight crew instructions, resulting in a delay to the flight,” Richmond RCMP told CTV News. “Officers attended and worked with airline staff to safely de‑escalate the situation, which included directing passengers to deplane.”

Police say they arrested 10 people and there were no reported injuries.

The flight ultimately departed for Cabo San Lucas around 9:30 a.m.

“The safety and well‑being of our guests and crew is WestJet’s top priority, and we are conducting a thorough review of the incident,” the airline wrote.