WestJet celebrated the launch of inaugural service between Calgary and Amsterdam on Thursday evening, August 5, 2021. Flight WS20, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed Calgary at 20:55 MT, marking WestJet’s first launch of new European service in over 18 months.
On Thursday (August 5, 2021), WestJet announced the launch of their inaugural service between Calgary and Amsterdam, the airline’s first new European route in over 18 months. Flight WS20, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed Calgary at 20:55 MT. Prior to departure, the inaugural service was celebrated by Chris Hedlin, WestJet’s Vice President of Network Planning, Rajan Sawhney, Alberta’s Minister of Transport, George Cahal, City of Calgary Councilor for Ward 5, Chris Miles, Calgary Airport Authority, Vice President of Operations and Infrastructure and David Goldstein, CEO of Travel Alberta.
In Thursday’s announcement, WestJet’s Chief Commercial Officer, John Weatherill, said,
“We continue to invest in our global hub in Calgary, where we have the most departures, destinations and seats and we're thrilled to see today's flight take-off as we continue to rebuild our transatlantic network. This route between Calgary and Amsterdam provides greater access between Canada and European destinations for travellers on both sides of the Atlantic and is strengthening travel and tourism ties between our two countries.”
Alberta’s Minister of Transport, Rajan Sawhney, added,
“Air travel will play a pivotal role in Alberta's post pandemic economic recovery. I am thrilled to see WestJet embark on this new partnership that will give travellers more options, while boosting tourism, and providing much needed support to our aviation industry.”
WestJet’s new Calgary-Amsterdam will operate twice weekly, increasing to three times weekly from September 9, 2021. Additionally, through the carrier’s expanded codeshare partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, WestJet guests will now enjoy seamless connectivity via Schiphol Airport (AMS) to 18 cities across Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Celebrating 25 years of service, WestJet has cut airfares for Canadians in half and increased the flying population around Canada by over 50 percent. The airline launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, and has now grown to more than 180 aircraft and 14,000 employees, offering service to 100 destinations in 23 countries (pre-pandemic). Even during these unprecedented times, the carrier has maintained their rating by Cirium as one of the top ten airlines for on-time performance in North America.
Source: WestJet