WestJet reaches deal to fly Suncor workers to Alberta oilsands sites
by The Canadian Press
Airline inks deal to operate more than 100 weekly flights between cities in Western Canada and Northern Alberta oil region
The airline will operate more than 100 weekly flights between Western Canada cities and Suncor sites in northern Alberta. PHOTO: WestJet
CALGARY—WestJet Airlines Ltd. has reached a multi-year deal with Suncor Energy Inc. to fly employees and contractors to and from its oilsands operations in Northern Alberta beginning in early November.
The airline says the agreement will involve more than 100 weekly flights between Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Kelowna, B.C., and Fort McMurray, Alta., and Suncor’s operations in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alta.
According to the Calgary Herald, the deal will allow Suncor to dismantle its in-house aviation department and sell the three aircraft it currently uses to shuttle its employees to and from its remote northern Alberta sites.
Meanwhile, WestJet’s Suncor announcement follows news that the airline has decided to cancel its Brandon, Man.-to-Toronto route, which it was offering on a trial basis throughout the summer. The airline initially planned to offer the flight year-round starting in October, but slow bookings have now prompted it to scrap the route altogether.
