Gatwick Airport has received 28 new weekly flights to Canada with WestJet launching routes to Toronto, St John’s, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

The low cost carrier will have bellyhold cargo capacity, and will use Boeing 767-300s on all the services except the St John’s flights, which will use a Boeing 737. The Toronto flights will be daily all year round, and so will St. John’s until 21 October. Vancouver services will be six times a week until 21 October, Edmonton will be twice-weekly until 22 October, Calgary will be five times a week until 29 October, when it will become thrice-weekly, and Winnipeg will be weekly.

Gatwick Airport chief executive officer (CEO), Stewart Wingate says: “Gatwick’s twenty eight new weekly flights to Canada provide a significant boost to the competitiveness of the UK transatlantic market.”

WestJet CEO, Gregg Saretsky says: “The launch of wide-body transatlantic service this weekend ushers in a new era in the history of WestJet. From humble beginnings as a regional airline serving five destinations in Western Canada, we have grown to become a truly international carrier in just two decades.”