WestJet unveiled Tokyo as its first Asia-Pacific market as part of a summer 2023 schedule that will also see the Calgary-based carrier expand its Western Europe markets and boost frequencies on several existing routes.
The new schedule includes a total of eight transoceanic routes. Three-times-weekly service to Tokyo Narita, which requires some government approvals before launch, is the most notable addition. WestJet also will add new service to Barcelona and Edinburgh—each three times weekly. The carrier also will serve both London Heathrow and London Gatwick seven times per week, Paris Charles de Gaulle seven times per week, Rome five times per week, and Dublin five times per week. All flights will originate at WestJet’s Calgary hub.
“Starting with the expansion of our intercontinental routes, future announcements will focus on domestic and North American additions that will bring even more affordable travel options to our guests in the new year,” WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said. “With Calgary as home base to our [Boeing] 787 aircraft, access between western Canadian communities and these intercontinental destinations will play a vital role in creating an economically prosperous aviation pipeline that better connects Canadians to the world and the world to Western Canada.”
Consolidating its seven 787s in Calgary is part of a larger strategy WestJet is rolling out that emphasizes serving Western Canada and pulls back capacity in the eastern part of the country. The carrier has been eyeing cost control and plans to cement itself as an LCC that offers both domestic and international travel options.
The Tokyo service builds on a longtime codesharing agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) that was recently expanded to include putting the Canadian carrier’s code on JAL’s Vancouver-Tokyo Narita flights.
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