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Introduction
A passenger experiencing a medical emergency aboard Celebrity Solstice was evacuated by air off the coast of British Columbia on September 12, 2026. The ship was reported to be about 200 kilometres northwest of Port Hardy when the Royal Canadian Air Force coordinated the response.
The passenger was transferred by helicopter to Comox and then taken to hospital. Authorities did not disclose the medical condition, identity or later outcome of the patient.
Rescue Coordination
The medevac was conducted by the RCAF’s 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron, based at 19 Wing Comox, under the direction of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria. The response began before dawn on the Saturday morning.
RCAF crews used a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft. The helicopter reached Celebrity Solstice first and coordinated the extraction with the ship’s captain.
Extraction from the Ship
Two search-and-rescue technicians were lowered to the ship’s deck. They prepared the passenger for removal before the patient was hoisted into the hovering helicopter.
A companion and medical personnel travelled with the patient during the transfer. The report does not state whether the passenger was treated in the ship’s medical centre before the helicopter arrived, or how long the operation took from the emergency call to extraction.
Hospital Transfer
The helicopter flew to Comox, where BC Emergency Health Services received the passenger and arranged transport to hospital. No detail was released about the hospital destination, diagnosis, treatment or condition after arrival ashore.
Medical privacy limits the information publicly available in many medevac cases. The absence of a reported diagnosis should not be treated as evidence about the seriousness or cause of the passenger’s condition.
Ship Operations
The available account does not report any injury to crew, other passengers or rescue personnel. It also does not describe a collision, fire, evacuation of the ship, or interruption to essential services.
No itinerary change was reported. The source does not state the number of passengers and crew aboard, the ship’s exact voyage, or whether Celebrity Solstice altered course or speed to assist the operation.
Information Not Reported
Authorities did not disclose the passenger’s identity, nationality, age, medical condition or hospital outcome. The report also does not identify the time of the initial emergency call, the duration of the medevac, or any follow-up statement from the cruise operator.
- Ship: Celebrity Solstice
- Incident date: September 12, 2026
- Location: About 200 km northwest of Port Hardy, British Columbia
- Incident type: Passenger medical evacuation
- Rescue assets: RCAF CH-149 Cormorant and CC-295 Kingfisher
- Reported deaths: None
- Patient condition: Not publicly disclosed
Operational Outcome
The passenger was removed from Celebrity Solstice by RCAF helicopter and transferred to hospital through BC Emergency Health Services. The incident is recorded as a medical evacuation. No further operational disruption or outcome for the passenger was reported.