Canadian discounter WestJet has axed seasonal St John's-Dublin flights and cut several intra-Canada routes, changes that come as the carrier continues overhauling its network.
WestJet says the decision to eliminate the St John's-Dublin route, which was its first transatlantic route, "was not taken lightly".
"The route was not performing to expectation and as a result, the choice was made to discontinue the service," the airline tells FlightGlobal.
While cutting the St John's flight, WestJet next year will launch flights to Dublin from Halifax, another city in eastern Canada. WestJet will fly that route daily between late April and late October, it says.
WestJet kicked off its transatlantic expansion in June 2014 when it launched the seasonal St John's-Dublin flights using Boeing 737s. WestJet operated the route daily, ending the service in October 2018. The route will not return to WestJet's network in 2019.
Executives initially had described the St John's-Dublin route as an experiment -- a test of the European market prior to further transatlantic expansion. In the years since 2014, WestJet acquired 767s, which it deployed to Europe, and placed orders for 10 787s, which it also intends to send across the Atlantic Ocean.
WestJet has made other schedule cuts in recent months, according to FlightGlobal schedules data.
In recent months the airline ended service on the Halifax-Deer Lake, Toronto-Fort McMurray, Montreal-Quebec City, Calgary-Quebec City and Toronto-Sudbury routes, data shows.
WestJet did not immediately respond to requests for comment about those additional route cuts, but executives in recent months said the airline would trim unprofitable flying and increasingly operate flights to and from its major hubs of Calgary and Toronto.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
