As WestJet approaches the midpoint in a year of strategic milestones and renewed momentum in experiential enhancements, the airline is calling on industry partners and government leaders to help unlock the full potential of Canada’s aviation industry—starting with recognizing that air travel is not a luxury but essential for Canadians.
In a keynote address to partners and members of the business community this week, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech highlighted the airline’s ongoing transformation and vision for the future. “Since our first flight in 1996, WestJet has redefined air travel in Canada. We began as a regional, low-cost carrier and grew sustainably into the home carrier of Western Canada and the country’s largest leisure and sun travel provider,” von Hoensbroech said.
WestJet has fully recovered from the pandemic. The airline’s fleet and destination map have expanded, and employee numbers have risen to support steady growth. From its Calgary headquarters, the airline now operates to 93 nonstop destinations across three different continents and more than 240 daily departures during peak travel times from Calgary alone—making Calgary the best-connected mid-size city in North America. This is alongside the many other Canadian cities WestJet provides with connectivity across the country and the continent.
The airline’s investments, along with that of several critical partners, have positioned Calgary as an aviation hub, supporting the creation of hundreds of local jobs through major initiatives like a new aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility and the Calgary Aerospace Innovation Centre. These investments are not only driving economic activity but helping to build a more robust and sustainable aviation ecosystem in the province.
Despite these successes, von Hoensbroech was clear in his address on Tuesday to Calgary’s business community: “The reality is, Canadians are paying some of the highest travel costs in the world,” acknowledging that it is often cheaper to fly transborder to the United States than domestically within Canada. He also noted this was largely due to mounting government and third-party taxes and fees, federal rent charges, and cumbersome regulatory costs that have created the equivalent of self-inflicted domestic tariffs on air travel.
WestJet contends that the current system makes it difficult to keep airfares affordable. While air fares have dropped by half over the last 30 years, government-controlled fees, charges and taxes have climbed by two-thirds. Canada now ranks 101st globally in aviation price competitiveness, without a clear solution on the horizon.
“The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) were well-intentioned, but flawed in design and are ineffective in practice,” von Hoensbroech said. “They single out airlines from the complex interplay of parties delivering air travel, drive frustration with travellers, and have created a mandatory disruption insurance scheme, through punitive compensation rules, that all passengers pay for through higher ticket prices.”
To create a more competitive and sustainable aviation sector, von Hoensbroech urged stakeholders to consider steps to recognize the essential nature of air travel; reduce burdensome airport rent and passenger fees; reassess the funding structure for air infrastructure; support the economic climate for the commercial development of sustainable aviation fuels; and rethink APPR to better fit its purpose of effectively supporting passengers while keeping air travel affordable.
“This country’s vast geography makes air travel a necessity,” von Hoensbroech concluded. “Canadians deserve an affordable, reliable flying experience—and WestJet is committed to delivering it. But we cannot do it alone. Our success depends on working together to create a better environment for aviation in Canada.”