Competition in Canadian skies is about to decrease by a very large amount.
Just days after WestJet officials revealed they were merging Swoop Airlines into mainline operations, it now appears they’re going to fold Sunwing Airlines.
Canadian Press reports WestJet is planning to wind down Sunwing Airlines, “integrating the low-cost carrier into its mainline business within two years as part of a plan to streamline operations.”
In an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press, Sunwing Airlines president Len Corrado said the change will open up markets for the 18-year-old company as well as its workers.
“WestJet will eventually move to a one jet aircraft operating certificate (AOC) model and Sunwing Airlines will be integrated into WestJet. This is a long-term move that will unlock greater scale and growth opportunities for our people, and specifically for our airline employees within the group,” Corrado said in the memo, dated Wednesday.
Sunwing Airlines
As part of its recent agreement with pilots, WestJet said it would fold discount Swoop Airlines in October of this year.
Open Jaw reports that Sunwing’s tour operations, led by Sunwing Vacations, will remain unaffected by this development.
“With reassurances from company executives, Sunwing Tour Operations hopes to continue to thrive as a leading tour operator in Canada, further bolstered by leveraging the extensive WestJet network to drive growth in the sun leisure segment,” Open Jaw stated. “Sunwing Vacations will continue as the leading tour operator in Canada as part of the WestJet Group, while leveraging the WestJet network to drive increased scale and growth in the sun leisure segment alongside the WestJet Vacations brand,” said Andrew Dawson, President, Tour Operations.
“We can confirm that Sunwing Airlines will be integrated into WestJet as part of the WestJet Group’s one jet aircraft operating certificate (AOC) strategy. This is a long-term move that will unlock greater scale as one AOC and create more opportunities for Sunwing Airlines employees under the WestJet Group. While exact timelines are still being determined, the integration is expected to take up to a couple of years.” – Len Corrado, President, Sunwing Airlines.
WestJet announced its final purchase of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines on May 1 of this year.
“The transaction, originally announced in March 2022, combines the two Canadian aviation and leisure travel success stories, and will bring greater choice, competitive airfares and increased direct access to sun destinations to Canadian travellers,” WestJet said in the release, which came out just 48 days ago. “In addition, it positions Sunwing to continue its growth across Canada and permits the newly merged company to protect jobs.”
“As the two entities transition from competitors to collaborators, the combination of these businesses will be planned in a way that positions Sunwing as an instrumental pillar of the WestJet Group, and prioritizes the experience of a growing number of guests,” WestJet said in the May 1 release.
Canadian Press said the memo “gave no indication that Sunwing Vacations would also shut down, suggesting that WestJet planes could be flying Sunwing tour package customers to their sun-soaked getaways.”
