Canadian airline WestJet has launched a new transatlantic service to Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh this Friday, marked by the inaugural flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport at 9:25 pm local time yesterday.
WestJet is the second-largest Canadian airline, behind flag carrier Air Canada.
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This announcement means that WestJet will serve five non-stop European destinations from Toronto this summer. The list includes Glasgow, Dublin, London (Gatwick Airport), Barcelona, Spain and the latest edition Edinburgh.
The carrier is clearly celebrating the announcement, reminiscing on its social media to 2015 when the carrier flew with a tartan tail when services to Scotland first began.
The Toronto – Edinburgh route will operate during peak season, three times a week from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Edinburgh Airport.
John Weatherill, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer, said that the carrier was thrilled that Edinburgh marks the last of the European destinations to be announced this summer, strengthening their offerings from Toronto. He continued, sharing that the airline is working diligently in reaction to the increasing demand for international travel:
“Seamless connectivity between Europe and Canada is critical to the recovery of Canada’s travel and tourism industry. We look forward to welcoming more Canadians and global guests on board this summer as we continue to restore our network to pre-pandemic levels.”
Janik Reigate is WestJet’s Director of Strategic Customer Relationships at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. Reigate said that the launch of the new route to Edinburgh was a “cause for celebration”, and explained why:
“…not only because it connects our valued passengers with the capital of Scotland, but also because it rounds out WestJet’s European service for the summer at Toronto Pearson. As the public begins to think about where their summer adventures will take them, WestJet’s suite of European destinations is the perfect choice for an unforgettable vacation.”
Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, Gordon Dewar, echoed the sentiments of Weatherill and Reigate:
“Welcoming a new airline partner to our airport is always an exciting day and we are delighted to see the WestJet tailfin in Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh. This new service will open up Canada and Scotland to travellers from both countries, whether that be seeing family and friends for the first time in a while, strengthening business connections with existing and new partners, or just experiencing the fantastic sights and culture that these two amazing cities have to offer. North America is one of our strongest markets and we hope that by making a success of this route it demonstrates the desire there is for greater direct connectivity and something we can work towards with our partners.”
WestJet now visits three of Scotland’s major cities, demonstrating the attractiveness of Scotland to the Canadian market. WestJet even enjoys a pleasurable and productive partnership with VisitScotland, the national tourism public-body organisation for Scotland.
Equally, Canada is a crucial market to Scotland for tourism and business so we can expect many Scottish travellers to fly directly to the capital of Ontario to explore the maple-mad country.
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