Sunwing to launch seasonal flights from Windsor to Cancun, Mexico

A Sunwing Airlines sign is seen in this undated file photograph.

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Sunwing Airlines has announced plans to launch direct flights from Windsor to Cancun, Mexico, next winter.

The weekly seasonal flights, set to start Dec. 21, will be the only direct service on the route to the popular sun destination, the Toronto-based holiday airline said.

Travellers will find the new non-stop service more convenient that existing options, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens indicated. Dilkens is also board chair at Windsor International Airport.

"With a Cancun service added to the mix, Windsor and Essex residents will no longer have to make the long trek to Toronto, or negotiate an extra border crossing into the U.S.," Dilkens said in a news release.

Dilkens said 2014 marked the third straight year in which the Windsor airport -- also served by Air Canada, Porter and WestJet -- set a record in number of passengers carried. It currently serves about 252,000 passengers a year.