VICTORIA -- WestJet is bringing five new domestic air-travel routes to Vancouver Island as part of a national rebound effort in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The island routes will offer direct service between Comox and Toronto, Nanaimo and Edmonton, Victoria and Ottawa, Victoria and Saskatoon, and Victoria and Winnipeg.
All five non-stop connections will begin in June; with Victoria-Saskatoon and Victoria-Winnipeg starting June 24; Nanaimo-Edmonton starting June 25; and Victoria-Ottawa and Comox-Toronto starting June 26.
WestJet president Ed Sims says the new routes are a sign of “cautious optimism” about air travel in the months ahead.
“We know our restart agenda will be pivotal to Canada's economic recovery," Sims said in a statement Friday.
"Stimulating air travel benefits all Canadians and supports those hardest hit,” he added. “With one in every 10 Canadian jobs tied to travel and tourism, the ripple effect benefits our whole country."
The airline president said he hopes Canadians will choose domestic travel over international destinations over the summer months.
"If Canadians were to shift two-thirds of their planned international-leisure travel spend towards domestic tourism, it would help sustain 150,000 jobs and accelerate recovery by one year, all while seeing what Canada has to offer,” Sims said.
WestJet announced 11 new Canadian routes Friday:
|
Route |
Frequency |
Effective from |
|
Toronto – Fort McMurray |
2x weekly (Wed, Sun) |
June 6, 2021 |
|
Kelowna – Saskatoon |
2x weekly (Thu, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Kelowna – Regina |
2x weekly (Thu, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Saskatoon – Victoria |
2x weekly (Thu, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Winnipeg – Victoria |
3x weekly (Thu, Sat, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Edmonton – Kamloops |
2x weekly (Thu, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Edmonton – Penticton |
2x weekly (Thu, Sun) |
June 24, 2021 |
|
Edmonton – Nanaimo |
2x weekly (Fri, Sun) |
June 25, 2021 |
|
Prince George – Abbotsford |
2x weekly (Fri, Sun) |
June 25, 2021 |
|
Ottawa – Victoria |
1x weekly (Sat) |
June 26, 2021 |
|
Toronto – Comox |
1x weekly (Sat) |
June 26, 2021 |
