WestJet Continues Flight Cancellations

WestJet has unveiled plans to continue working around the clock to return safely some 16 aircraft to service that were impacted by a recent hailstorm in Calgary.

Unfortunately, the significant hailstorm that landed across Alberta, specifically Calgary, on August 5 had considerable ramifications for parked aircraft.

Thanks to damage sustained, WestJet was forced to pull more than 10% of its fleet from service to conduct thorough inspections and any necessary repairs.

Thus, the storm system will significantly impact its performance across August, and while this will be seen through operations, it’ll trickle down to finances.

WestJet says it’s being forced to continue cancellations as it works to return all 16 impacted aircraft into service as soon as possible.

However, before these planes can reenter service, comprehensive assessments are underway to determine the damage they sustained and what needs to be done to ensure their highest working order.

Because of the incident’s delicate nature and the complexities of the repairs, WestJet has stated several times that they expect these inspections and repairs to take many weeks.

WestJet knows its customers are frustrated, and so is the airline. Ultimately, this capacity loss comes at one of the more important times of the year, the peak summer travel season.

As this summer travel season winds down, people scramble to return home, complete last-minute holidays, or embark on school journeys. Thus, with WestJet’s fleet partially grounded, it’s unable to operate at optimal levels.

Equally, however, WestJet has reaffirmed its commitment to the highest levels of safety. Therefore, it knows it must take every appropriate measure to ensure its planes return in perfect condition.

As cancellations continue, WestJet states that while it wants to minimise disruption as much as possible, it also seeks to aid affected passengers.

On average, the impact of the grounded aircraft is resulting in 50 or so flights being cancelled each day. As more planes return to service, this number will be reduced.