WestJet is adding 11 new domestic routes in Western Canada.
The new routes include flights between Toronto and Comox, Edmonton and Nanaimo, and Ottawa and Victoria, and eight new routes connecting the prairie provinces to tourism destinations in BC.
Westjet president and CEO Ed Sims says they view the coming months with optimism and their restart plan will be pivotal to the country’s economic recovery.
Sims says with one-in-ten Canadian jobs tied to travel and tourism, “the ripple effect benefits our whole country.”
According to Sims, “if Canadians were to shift two-thirds of their planned international-leisure travel spend towards domestic tourism, it would help sustain 150,000 jobs and accelerate recovery by one year.”
Among the factors behind the airline’s decision are the rollout of vaccines, months of learning appropriate virus precautions, and the coming summer vacation months for people to spend more time outdoors.
New routes:
Route | Frequency | Effective from |
Toronto – Fort McMurray | 2x weekly (Wed, Sun) | June 6, 2021 |
Kelowna – Saskatoon | 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Kelowna – Regina | 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Saskatoon – Victoria | 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Winnipeg – Victoria | 3x weekly (Thu, Sat, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Edmonton – Kamloops | 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Edmonton – Penticton | 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) | June 24, 2021 |
Edmonton – Nanaimo | 2x weekly (Fri, Sun) | June 25, 2021 |
Prince George – Abbotsford | 2x weekly (Fri, Sun) | June 25, 2021 |
Ottawa – Victoria | 1x weekly (Sat) | June 26, 2021 |
Toronto – Comox | 1x weekly (Sat) | June 26, 2021 |
