Canada’s second largest airline, Westjet Airlines has secured a landing spot at Dubai International Airport. This feat will enable Westjet to conduct direct flights from Calgary International Airport (YYC) to Dubai (DXB).
The Canadian airline has been allocated the landing spot for the 31-week summer 2023 flying season which begins March 27, according to a Nov. 4 report from Airport Coordination Limited. This allocation will allow Westjet Airlines to conduct 186 flights during the summer of 2023 with capacity to service about 60,000 passenger during the season.
A spokesperson for the airline said they are in constant pursuit of new markets around the world in order to advance the airline’s opportunities to serve its customers. They said that they have not decided on what to do with the approvals in the United Arab Emirates.
“At this time, we do not have any new destinations or network updates to announce,” a WestJet spokesperson said in an email to Postmedia Sunday.
“WestJet, like many airlines, applies for airport slots globally to gain an understanding of slot availability. Understandably, we don’t control the slot times that then become available to us and they may or may not be optimal for our operation.”
Last month, Westjet Airlines received its last Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet. The airline had ordered 10 jets but decided to settle for only seven. It intends to base all of the long-haul widebody jets in Calgary International Airport (YYC) as it will use the airport for trans-Pacific trips.
In September, Westjet Airlines ordered a whopping 42 Boeing 737-MAX-10 aircraft. The company back then indicated that it needed to replace its aging fleet for the much fuel-efficient 737-MAX jets. The deal was worth US$5.6 billion at the list price of the airliners. Boeing did not set a delivery timetable for the order.
