Celebrity Solstice Passenger Airlifted After Medical Emergency Off Canada

Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Operation off British Columbia

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria received the distress call at approximately 3:51 a.m. on Saturday, according to official incident reports. Crews arrived on the scene at around 7:25 a.m., positioning the aircraft over the cruise ship operating roughly 200 kilometres northwest of Port Hardy, B.C. Two search and rescue technicians descended to the ship’s deck to evaluate the patient and prepare them for hoisting into the hovering aircraft. Video documentation released by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria shows the patient, a travelling companion, and a cruise ship staff member being hoisted into the helicopter, followed by the rescue technicians.

B.C. Emergency Health Services Patient Transfer

Following the shipboard hoist, the rescue aircraft transported the patient to Comox, where emergency crews awaited the arrival. Critical care paramedics met the helicopter in Comox at around 10:15 a.m. to provide direct medical care, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services. Paramedics subsequently transported the patient to a hospital via ambulance in critical condition.

Recent Maritime Medical Evacuations in Western Canadian Waters

This operation follows a similar maritime medical evacuation handled by the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron in the same region. On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, rescue aircraft responded to a medical emergency aboard the Disney Wonder while the ship sailed off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, one day after departing Vancouver on a seven-day itinerary to Alaska. In that operation, a CC-295 Kingfisher airplane and a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter deployed to assist a Disney Cruise Line cast member, who was safely hoisted from the ship and transferred to a Canadian hospital for treatment, according to reports from Chek News and Cruise Hive.