McMillan Advises Sunwing Airlines on its Successful Merger with the WestJet Group

On May 1, 2023, Sunwing Airlines completed its merger with The WestJet Group. This marks the third successful airline merger in Canada within the last two decades.

McMillan LLP’s Competition and Aviation teams represented Sunwing throughout the entire merger process, initially announced on March 2, 2022. The team, led by Joshua Krane and supported by Joshua Chad, Julia Loney, William (Bill) Wu, Neil Campbell, Mark Opashinov and Seema Sidhu, assisted Sunwing in the year-long regulatory review conducted by three federal regulators and several provincial licensing agencies.

The closing of this landmark transaction will see the formation of a new tour operating business as part of the WestJet Group of companies. The merger will also open up new sun destinations at several new Canadian points of origin.

The transaction highlights McMillan’s extensive experience in complex regulatory matters and deep understanding of the airline industry. We regularly advise Canadian and foreign airlines on their day-to-day aviation law regulatory compliance needs, defend industry players in multi-jurisdictional class actions, advise on aviation financing, and represent owners and operators of aviation facilities across the country.

Click here to learn more about McMillan’s Competition and Aviation teams.