Calgary International Airport (YYC)-based WestJet released a statement this week announcing that they were returning to the “city of light.”The return of the Calgary to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) flights restores WestJet’s longstanding codeshare partnership with French national flag carrier Air France. By deploying one of the airlines, six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, WestJet will restart its non-stop service between Calgary and Paris from August 20, 2021.
WestJet flies to more European destinations from Calgary than any other airline. From the Canadian West, WestJet offers a twice-weekly flight to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and a twice-weekly flight to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). The YYC-LGW flights will increase to three times per week starting in September.
Canadian tourism will benefit from the flight
When speaking about the return of Calgary to Paris flights in a company statement WestJet Chief Commercial Officer John Weatherill 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.”
It's time to say "bonjour" to Paris again!
Tonight's WS10 flight from Calgary marks the restart of non-stop service to Paris, operating once a week. The Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées, Montmartre and much more awaits. https://t.co/w9JeBPgBfB pic.twitter.com/VOyxgP1Sup
— WestJet (@WestJet) August 20, 2021
In 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, WestJet’s non-stop flights from Europe brought 56,000 visitors to Alberta, and it is estimated that they spent around Can$ 90 million.
About the codeshare with Air France
The return of the WestJet Calgary to Paris flights restores WestJet’s time-honored codeshare partnership with Air France. WestJet’s non-stop flights to Paris will give Canadian business and leisure travelers the ability to connect to 16 cities in Europe seamlessly. WestJet passengers connecting on Air France European flights can continue earning WestJet Dollars throughout their entire journey.
Details of WestJet’s service between Calgary and Paris:
| Route | Frequency | Start Date |
| Calgary – Paris | 1x weekly | Aug. 20 – October 29, 2021 |
| Paris – Calgary | 1x weekly | Aug. 22 – October 31, 2021 |
The flight is good news for Canada and France
When commenting about WestJet resuming flights between Calgary and Paris Vice-President, Commercial, Strategy and Chief Financial Officer, of The Calgary Airport Authority, Rob Palmer 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.”
French Ambassador to Canada Kareen Rispal was also thrilled by the news saying:
“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.”
When WestJet launched 25 years ago, it had 250 employees and three aircraft. Today the airline has 14,000 employees, and according to aviation statistics and date website ch-aviation the following aircraft:
- 13 x Boeing 737-600s
- 48 x Boeing 737-700s
- 30 x Boeing 737-800s
- 14 x Boeing 737MAXs
- 6 x Boeing 787-9s
- 47 x De Havilland Aircraft of Canada DHC-8-400s
The new Westjet flight to Paris is certainly good news for Canadians traveling to Europe and also for Europeans looking to visit the Canadian west.
What do you think about WestJet’s new flight to Paris? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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