WestJet to boost Eastern Canada presence, says CEO Ed Sims

Increased frequencies in Eastern Canada are in the future for WestJet, according to comments made by CEO Ed Sims following the Calgary-based airline’s acquisition by Onex Corp. this week.

In an interview with The Financial Post, Sims said that the Onex acquisition will allow the airline to boost its presence in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes; while he provided no specific details, Sims said that travellers can expect increased frequencies in Eastern Canada while remembering its Western Canada roots, joking that the airline has no plans to rebrand as "EastJet."

READ MORE: Done deal: Onex completes WestJet acquisition

On Wednesday (Dec. 11), Onex’s acquisition of WestJet cleared its final hurdle and received approval by the Canadian Transportation Agency after it was determined that Canadian ownership of the airline would meet federal guidelines following the acquisition’s closure, a deal valued at more than $5 billion.

The airline continues to add routes and expand its fleet of new Dreamliner aircraft, introduced last year. WestJet will add three Dreamliners in 2020, increasing the fleet to six.

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