Charges laid after Sunwing flight returned to Toronto

Two Toronto-area women are facing charges after a drunken dispute returned a Cuba-bound Sunwing flight to Toronto’s Pearson Airport Wednesday night.

The women reportedly consumed a substantial quantity of duty-free alcohol and lit a cigarette in the plane’s bathroom before getting into a fight, said Sunwing vice-president Janine Chapman in a statement. She said that although the women then made a threat against the aircraft, it “was considered non-credible given their condition.” The two women were identified in a Canadian Press report as Lilia Ratmanski, 25, of Whitby and Milana Muzikante, 26, of Vaughan.

The flight, which left Pearson at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, was bound for Varadero and escorted by two CF18 fighters from Quebec’s CFB Bagotville back to Toronto at approximately 8:30 p.m., where the women were removed by police and charged with smoking on a plane and endangering the safety of the aircraft. The plane left for Cuba again at approximately 11 p.m. Wednesday with a new flight crew, said Chapman.

On Thursday morning, Peel Police said that the two women are now facing three additional charges for mischief over $5,000, mischief endangering life and uttering threats.