WestJet Airlines, the Canadian airline based in Calgary, has announced that it will offer direct flights between Calgary and Mexico City, starting in the summer of 2025.
Last flown in 2019, the route connects Mexico and Canada’s main business districts. It is thought the added flights will also boost tourism and cargo flights both to and from the respective countries. The flights will begin in May 2025, leaving Calgary on the 14th, and Mexico City on the 15th. Flights will then operate five times a week from both airports.
It marks an expansion of WestJet’s presence in the Central American country, with the airline already flying to 13 cities across Mexico.
Daniel Fajardo, WestJet, Vice-President of Network and Schedule Planning, said in a statement:
“WestJet’s continued investment in popular sun destinations had made us the gateway between Canada and Mexico, bolstering both countries vital commercial and tourism economies. Service between Calgary and Mexico City opens the door for more Western Canadians to explore Mexico’s vibrant culture and history, while boosting trade and tourism across North America.”
WestJet was formed in 1994, by Clive Beddoe, David Neeleman, Mark Hill, Tim Morgan, and Donald Bell, initially as a low-cost alternative to Canada’s other airlines, notably flag carrier Air Canada.
Starting with three aircraft, around 200 employees, and five destinations, WestJet is now Canada’s second-largest airline and the eleventh-largest in North America by passenger numbers.
Originally focusing on destinations within western Canada (hence their name), WestJet’s portfolio of destinations grew consistently over the next 29 or so years, now travelling to places as diverse as Oranjestad in Aruba, and Edinburgh in Scotland.
With such dominance, an internal review that took place in 2005 found that the airline risked market saturation if they continued on their initial economic trajectory: up until this point, WestJet had predominantly purchased or used Boeing 737s, a strategy that would become increasingly difficult to maintain going forward.
As such, the company formed a regional arm, called ‘WestJet Encore’.
Active since 2013, Encore controls Westjet’s entire internal flight portfolio within Canada. Whilst initially, the wider WestJet group was focused on international routes, the company shifted focus in the period after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the company returning to a western Canada-focused strategy.
The announcement also comes in the middle of WestJet’s travel sale, with WestJet Vacation offering up to CAN $800 off flights and hotels throughout January.
So does the announcement of more flights between Canada and Mexico mean there is another shift in WestJet’s ongoing strategy, or is this just another successful airline expanding its already impressive list of destinations? Let us know in the comments below.
Aviation Reporter - Originally from Lancashire but currently living just outside Bristol in the United Kingdom, Steven's interests are varied from travel, sport, politics and music.
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