WestJet plans to consolidate Boeing 787 fleet in Calgary

Canadian airline WestJet will base all seven of its Boeing 787-9s at its Calgary hub as a part of a strategy shift which will see the carrier double its capacity in the city by the end of the decade. The 5 October announcement comes in the context of a partnership between the airline and its home province of Alberta. The airline says that it will “invest aircraft capacity, with an asset value in excess of seven billion dollars, in Calgary alone, through significant fleet commitments to be based within the province”. ”WestJet will designate [Calgary] as its single global connecting hub and will concentrate all intercontinental 787 Dreamliner flying in Calgary, unlocking opportunity for new routes within North America, to Europe, with the potential to reach Asia,” the company adds. In August, WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech told FlightGlobal that the carrier would be pulling back on its international network, and bringing all widebody aircraft to the western part of the country as part of a new strategic shift. However, he did not specify to which city. Asked about Asia routes, he responded at the time, “That’s certainly something we will look at, yes.” The shift west promises to make Calgary ”North America’s most connected mid-sized city”, von Hoensbroech now says.<br/>