A WestJet Boeing 737 Max aircraft at Vancouver International Airport in 2021. The airline has ordered 60 737 Max 10s and seven 787-9 Dreamliners from Boeing.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Calgary-based WestJet Airlines has ordered 67 Boeing planes, making its largest aircraft purchase as it plots a long-term plan for growth.
The order, which includes 60 737 Max 10s and seven 787-9 Dreamliners, is slated to be delivered between 2029 and 2034, said Alexis von Hoensbroech, chief executive officer of WestJet.
WestJet also has options to buy an additional 25 737s and four 787s. Including planes already contracted for, the deal brings WestJet’s Boeing order book to 123 planes and 40 options. The previous orders are expected to be delivered by 2028.
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The purchase is worth US$10-billion at list prices, excluding the optional purchases and before customary discounts.
“We want to make sure that we can keep growing beyond 2028,” Mr. von Hoensbroech said in an interview. The bigger fleet will allow WestJet to reach more destinations, increase route frequencies and replace smaller aircraft, he said.
Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, said in a statement: “This agreement between WestJet and Boeing reflects a pragmatic approach to doing business, creating new opportunities, economic benefits, and long-term jobs on both sides of the border, while ensuring that WestJet is well-equipped to grow, offer more options for passengers, and better connect Canadians.”
WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline after Air Canada, has about 36 per cent of the country’s seat capacity. It flies 147 737s, seven 787s and 39 De Havilland Dash-8s to more than 100 destinations.
The order was announced as Canada and the U.S. are in tense trade negotiations. Canada is trying to get the U.S. to lift tariffs on Canadian metals, automobiles and other goods. Some Canadians have adopted a shop-at-home tactic as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada’s manufacturing sector and sovereignty.
When asked why WestJet is buying U.S.-made planes rather than those from Europe-based Airbus, Mr. von Hoensbroech said the airline wants all its jets to be from the same maker for efficiency reasons. This way it can use the same crews, training and parts supplies. He noted that Washington-based Boeing employs 1,500 people making parts in Winnipeg. Boeing makes the 737 in Seattle and the 787 in North Charleston, S.C.
“This order supports manufacturing jobs on both sides of the border,” Mr. von Hoensbroech said. “This is an endorsement of the close partnership between those countries.”
“Airbus builds great planes. I did a lot of work with Airbus in a prior life, they are fantastic,” said Mr. von Hoensbroech, who worked at Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines before joining WestJet as CEO in 2022. “But there is a benefit to having one aircraft type because it takes away a lot of complexity.”
“We do what’s right for our business. We do what’s right for our airline. We do what’s right for Canadians,” he said.