WestJet adds 47 weekly flights to Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR) position as a major hub for WestJet will significantly grow this fall when the airline adds a total of 47 new weekly flights serving the airport.

A number of existing flight routes to both domestic and international destinations will see a drastic increase in flight frequencies, including 19 new weekly flights between Vancouver and Kelowna. Other routes that will also receive a boost include flights to Prince George, Toronto, Honolulu, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, and Los Angeles.

These new weekly flights will be implemented by late-October in time for the winter travel season. Additionally, the seasonal route from YVR to Montreal will be extended to the winter months.

“The addition of dozens of new flights demonstrates our commitment to invest in communities and serve Canadians now and in the future, a commitment backed by our established, trusted brand and caring, people-driven service,” reads a statement by Bob Cummings, the Executive Vice-President of WestJet’s Commercial division. “These increases enable communities to stimulate development, improve infrastructure and grow their economies.”

After October 2016, WestJet will have a total of 452 flights per week from Vancouver serving 32 destinations, with 18 in Canada, 12 in the United States, four in the Caribbean and Mexico, and one in the United Kingdom.

This comes after WestJet’s major late-spring and early-summer expansion from YVR into a number of new destinations, such as: Gatwick Airport in London, England; London, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Hamilton Ontario.

YVR has a goal of reaching 25 million annual passengers by 2020. It is expected to clock 21.3 million passengers by the end of 2016, up from 20.3 million passengers last year. This evening, YVR will be welcoming Xiamen Airlines’ new flight route from Vancouver to Xiamen, China, which will mark the first time the airline has served a destination in North America.

New and improved major YVR routes 2015/2016

• March 15, 2015: Manila, Philippines and New York City, U.S.A. – Philippine Airlines adds four weekly flights to its route from Manila to NYC, with a stop in Vancouver.
• March 29, 2015: Paris, France – Air France begins three times weekly non-stop flight service, with five times weekly schedules during the summer months.
• May 1, 2015: Osaka, Japan – Air Canada Rouge begins five times weekly service to Kansai International Airport.
• June 26, 2015: Kungming, China – China Eastern Airlines begins three times weekly flight service via Shanghai.
• December 9, 2015: Mexico City, Mexico – Aeromexico to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• January 1, 2016: Orlando International Airport – WestJet to begin twice weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• January 20, 2016: Orlando-Sanford International Airport – National Airlines to begin two times weekly seasonal flight service.
• February 15, 2016: Cancun, Mexico – Air Canada to begin weekly, non-stop seasonal service.
• May 1, 2016: London Heathrow Airport – British Airways to use an AirBus A380 superjumbo jet for its existing daily non-stop London Heathrow Airport service. The A380 will only be used during the summer months.
• May 6, 2016: London Gatwick Airport – WestJet to begin six times weekly non-stop flight service.
• May 9, 2016: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport – Air Canada to begin twice daily, non-stop service to San Jose.
• June 1, 2016: Brisbane, Australia – Air Canada to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• June 2, 2016: San Diego International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop seasonal service.
• June 4, 2016: Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop service.
• June 10, 2016: Dublin Airport – Air Canada to begin seasonal non-stop flight service.
• June 29, 2016: London, Ontario – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 29, 2016: Halifax, Nova Scotia – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 30, 2016: Hamilton, Ontario – WestJet to begin three times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• July 25, 2016: Xiamen, China – Xiamen Airlines to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• October 20, 2016: Delhi, India – Air Canada to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.