Revenue at WestJet improved in 2016 as it continued growing and expansion plans were implemented, director of WestJet Cargo and charter operations, Heidi Grigg tells Air Cargo Week (ACW).
She says revenue grew in 2016 despite economic challenges and the air cargo industry suffering from lower yields, but these should see some improvement in 2017.
WestJet has introduced new routes such as services to London’s Gatwick Airport from Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and St. John’s on a seasonal basis, and Toronto and Calgary all year round.
Grigg tells ACW: “The launch of our London Gatwick service (six routes) started summer of 2016, when we see other operators also with capacity on that route. As a new entrant, it took some time to build the business and we are pleased with the performance to date.”
For 2017 she continues: “We are continuing to expand WestJet Cargo in 2017. We have plans to expand into existing WestJet cities that WestJet Cargo does not yet serve, expand in some of our product offerings and potentially open into new WestJet cities as well.”
On domestic routes, transporting animals is an important business area while perishables are proving popular internationally.
Grigg comments: “Perishables, such as seafood, is also one of our key products in Canada that has seen excellent growth in the recent years.”
She also says: “The key opportunities of doing business in Canada is the import/export opportunities with other countries as well as the Canadian dollar in relation to other countries.”
WestJet Cargo provides shipping services across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean, Ireland and the UK, and has a fleet of Boeing 737s and Boeing 767s.
