WestJet and Boeing announced a massive order today for more than sixty aircraft. This includes the Boeing 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner varieties and shows that the carrier is preparing for significant growth.
WestJet is Significantly Expanding its Fleet
WestJet, which began in 1996 as a low cost carrier, has expanded rapidly in recent years. The Calgary based carrier has launched long-haul flights thanks to its Boeing 787 aircraft which feature both Business Class and Economy seats onboard.
With the latest order, WestJet has agreed to purchase 60 737-10 MAX narrowbody aircraft, with options for an additional 25. The order also includes seven 787-9 Dreamliner widebody aircraft with options for four more. This order increases WestJet’s total order book to 123 aircraft with another forty options.
WestJet Chief Executive Officer, Alexis von Hoensbroech, said this about the order:
“With the addition of these aircraft, WestJet has the largest order book of any airline in Canada and will double our fleet of Dreamliners, underpinning our growth plans and our commitment to affordable travel options for Canadians from coast-to-coast and exciting career paths for our people. These highly efficient and comfortable aircraft are critical to the growth and renewal of our fleet and will also significantly improve our fuel consumption.”
Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, added:
“We are honored that WestJet has once again placed its trust in Boeing with a major investment that builds on our three decades of partnership and solidifies their fleet for the decades ahead. We look forward to supporting WestJet’s exciting growth as they leverage the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner to serve even more guests with great efficiency and comfort.”
My Thoughts
This order is quite the vote of confidence from WestJet in terms of growth. We saw the carrier cut flights from my home airport of Austin to Vancouver due to a decrease in travel demand between Canada and the United States.
Since that cut, Delta and Korean Air have taken a combined 25% stake in the carrier and it recently completed the integration of Sunwing Airlines, which it acquired in 2023. I’d say, with this most recent order, the carrier is definitely expecting blue skies ahead.
Summary
WestJet has placed an order for 67 new Boeing aircraft with the option for 29 more. The order is split between the 737-10 MAX and 787-9 Dreamliner. Clearly WestJet has growth on the brain with an order of this size and it will be interesting to see how it utilizes the new planes.