WestJet has announced that it has resumed flights to Paris, France, restating its position as the only airline to operate a non-stop route between Calgary and Paris.
WestJet states that with the resumption of service to Paris, it has become the only airline serving the most European destinations, direct from its hub in Calgary. The airline introduced twice-weekly, non-stop flights between Calgary and Amsterdam on 5th August 2021 and is presently serving London Gatwick 2-times-a-week, with both the flights increasing to 3-times-a-week in September.
These once-weekly flights between Calgary International Airport and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International Airport will run with the following schedule:
- Calgary-Paris
- Departure time: 19:30
- Arrival time: 12:30 (the next day)
- Flight time: 9 hours
- Flight number: WS10
- Frequency: Only Fridays
- Paris-Calgary
- Departure time: 14:30
- Arrival time: 15:30
- Flight time: 9 hours
- Flight number: WS9
- Frequency: Only Sundays
These flights will be operated by WestJet’s Boeing B787-9 featuring 16 Business Class seats, 28 Premium Economy Class seats and 276 standard Economy Class seats.
John Weatherill, Chief Commercial Officer, WestJet, said:
We are thrilled to bring back this historic route between Calgary and Paris, reconnecting these two incredible cities and providing easy and unique travel opportunities throughout Europe for Western Canadians. Calgary to Paris is a key market for inbound tourism to Western Canada. Alongside a successful vaccination rollout across Canada, we are proud to see this route return and will continue to invest in the economic recovery and growth of both Calgary and Alberta, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Rob Palmer, Vice-President, Commercial, Strategy and Chief Financial Officer of The Calgary Airport Authority, said:
Congratulations to WestJet on resuming their direct service from YYC to Paris. This transatlantic route will further strengthen our presence as WestJet’s global hub, as guests are once again able to experience the city of lights in just nine hours. We look forward to welcoming visitors from France and the region to Calgary as they make plans to travel again.
In 2019, WestJet’s investment in direct flights from Europe to Alberta drove $90 Million in spend from 56,000 inbound travellers.
The return of Calgary-Paris route also restores WestJet’s codeshare partnership with Air France, giving Canadian business and leisure travellers the ability to easily connect to and from 16 cities in greater Europe, including Rome, Venice, Athens and Lisbon. WestJet passengers travelling on Air France are eligible to continue earning WestJet Dollars throughout their entire journey.
Brad Parry, Interim President & CEO, Calgary Economic Development, said:
Connections to global markets are vital for attracting companies, capital and people to Calgary. Having WestJet’s hub in Calgary, providing direct service to international markets like Paris, provides us with a competitive advantage. It is one of the many reasons global businesses continue to set up their offices and headquarters for North America in Calgary.
Kareen Rispal, French Ambassador to Canada, said:
I am delighted with this excellent news. This resumption of traffic between Calgary and France will allow us to further develop economic and cultural exchanges between Western Canada and France. Thank you, WestJet, for reopening this route.
Meanwhile, WestJet recently announced that it will launch flights to Amsterdam and resume flights to London Gatwick. The airline will also expand its services to Hawaii this winter and launch a dedicated cargo arm in 2022. The airline will restart many routes across Canada and has added Seattle to its network too.
Featured image by Airways Magazine
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