Canada’s Swoop to take six new Boeing 737 Max 8 this year

WestJet’s ultra-low-cost subsidiary Swoop will add six Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to its fleet as the discount segment in Canada heats up with two new competitors due to launch in the coming months. The Calgary-based carrier says on 9 February it will take delivery of the aircraft “this summer” ahead of the peak holiday travel season, allowing it to expand its domestic flight network to 37 non-stop routes from 23. ”We saw demand for travel return in a very meaningful way over the holidays, signalling that Canadians are ready to reunite with family and friends,” says Bert van der Stege, head of commercial & finance at Swoop. “The acquisition of six new aircraft in response to anticipated demand will ensure Swoop reconnects more Canadians this summer while accelerating Canada’s economic recovery.” Swoop currently operates a fleet of ten Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The new domestic routes,which skew heavily towards Atlantic Canada, will launch between 1 May and 22 June. Swoop will fly to Deer Lake and St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Saint John, New Brunswick for the first time as part of that expansion. Altogether, the airline serves 31 cities in Canada, the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean. “Throughout the pandemic the ULCC model has proven especially resilient, with Swoop carrying around one million travellers in 2021,” the company says. “Despite ongoing travel restrictions Swoop saw strong demand for both domestic and international travel over the peak holiday period, a trend that has continued into the new year.”<br/>