Transport Canada (TC) has granted the air operator’s certificate for WestJet’s new ultra-LCC Swoop, clearing the way for inaugural flights June 20. “Receiving our air operator’s certificate ticks the last check-box,” Swoop president and CEO Steven Greenway said. Swoop's fleet will consist of former WestJet mainline Boeing 737-800s reconfigured with 189 seats. WestJet’s Swoop timeline has the ULCC launching with three 737-800s and ramping up to 10 by next spring and eventually as many as 40. WestJet and its pilots navigated a major hurdle last week when an arbitrator ruled that the Air Line Pilots Association would represent pilots at both carriers. ALPA and WestJet are well into talks toward their first contract, and how Swoop would be staffed was a key sticking point. WestJet’s first Swoop pilot hires came from outside the company, but going forward, this will no longer be permitted.<br/>
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EasyJet has claimed air fares on some routes could be cut by almost a third if a new runway is built at Heathrow Airport. Passengers could benefit from cheaper deals as a result of "increased competition" from budget airlines, it said. The company has urged MPs to support plans for a third runway. It said fares at the low-cost airline are about 30% lower than those on legacy carriers. EasyJet said the proposed expansion paves the way for budget carriers to use the airport "at scale" for the first time. The company already operates from other major "hub" airports such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles De Gaulle. EasyJet said it has been working closely with Heathrow for several years to ensure its requirements will be met if the new runway is approved. CCO Robert Carey said: "This expansion would enable low cost airlines to provide new routes and increased competition on dozens more UK and European routes. EasyJet's costs are significantly lower than legacy airlines so EasyJet's fares on these services would be lower than those paid by passengers today."<br/>
The first direct flight from China to Scotland has landed at Edinburgh Airport. The Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing is scheduled to run twice a week. It is hoped the route will help attract thousands more Chinese tourists and students. It will also reduce the cost for Scots, who will be able to travel without connecting flights. Two further return flights between the two cities each week will go via Dublin. Airbus A330-300 will fly from Beijing to Dublin and then onto Edinburgh and then back to Beijing on Thursdays and Sundays, flying to Edinburgh and then Dublin and then back to Beijing on Tuesdays and Saturdays.<br/>