The hockey teams were heading home from the junior championships in Canada’s Red Deer and Edmonton that were canceled on Wednesday because of Covid-19
Fellow passengers expressed the Russian squad caused the disturbance. The Czech team members were just wearing similar grey sweatshirts, their manager told.
Air Canada flight
- Members of the Russian and Czech Republic world junior hockey teams were out from a New Year’s Eve flight from Calgary in Canada to Frankfurt, Germany, with fellow passengers saying the Russian squad caused a disturbance by smoking and denying to wear masks.
Calgary Police told in a report on Saturday that its Airport Unit officers responded at 5:45 pm on Friday to information of a disturbance on an Air Canada flight.
The report did not say who caused the disturbance or if there were any arrests, and police did not answer requests from The Canadian Press news agency for further report.
Air Canada also had yet to answer an appeal for the report.
The team members were heading home from the junior championships in Red Deer and Edmonton that were canceled on Wednesday because of Covid-19 outbreaks
Czech Republic and Russia
“The team of the Czech Republic and Russia was out from the flight for violating the mask regime. Very strict rules,” Russian coach Sergei Zubov told a Russian newspaper.
Czech team manager Otakar Cerny told his team was likely coupled in with the Russians by the flight crew because of the similarity of their grey sweatshirts.
“And practically only for that reason, they threw us into the same bag as the Russians and told us that the entire Czech and Russian expedition could no longer board the plane,” Cerny informed Czech media.
- “Air Canada representatives apologized to us and at their price arranged a hotel and a flight to Frankfurt at the same time a day later. They also assured us that we would not fly the same flight as the Russian hockey players.”
Eoin Kenny, a passenger on the flight who was in business class, told one Russian official who was seated near him was vaping in the cabin and denied putting his mask up over his mouth and nose. The flight attendants tried over and over to get him to comply with the rules, Kenny told, but the man denied.
Also, read
- Kenya Airways and South African Airways announce to begin a new airline in 2023
- Jet Airways can appear as a savior in external funds
“He was blaring Russian rock music on his phone,” Kenny told The Canadian Press from the airport in Madrid. “They kept trying to get him to turn it off but he wouldn’t. I think they were over-refreshed
Russian team, Kenny said
The players on the Russian team, Kenny expressed, were seated back in the economy and at one point another Russian man came forward and embraced the passenger who was causing the trouble.
Dr. Kathleen Scherf was among a number of passengers who tweeted during the disturbance that delayed the flight three hours.
“Two hours late so far on Calgary to Frankfurt flight.
The Russian Juniors team was in the back, trying to smoke cigarettes, not wearing masks, not listening to attendants,” Scherf tweeted. “Cops swarmed the plane. We all had to get off while they and their luggage were removed.”
Thank you
Stay updated with aviations2z. com
