WestJet’s lower-cost airline Swoop is expected to announce that it will expand its summer service offerings, including adding flights from Victoria to Edmonton and Toronto.
The airline, which previously announced it was postponing planned operations to Victoria in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will add as many as six flights a week between Victoria and Toronto and seven flights a week between Victoria and Edmonton.
Swoop will also announce expanded services for Kelowna and Abbotsford.
“Our summer schedule expansion is in response to strong advance sales and in anticipation of demand from Canada’s most price-conscious travellers as they look towards the accelerated pace of vaccine rollouts across the country,” said Swoop president Charles Duncan. “When the time comes for a safe resumption of travel, it will be critical to ensure access to affordable travel exists within our borders and Swoop is strategically positioned to meet that need in British Columbia and across the country.”
Paul Nursey, chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria, said reliable transportation to and from the Island is vital to the success of the visitor economy.
“There are other benefits to a low-cost carrier like Swoop entering market as well. It means Greater Victoria becomes an option for visitors that might not have considered air travel without ultra-low cost carrier options,” he said.
Nursey noted lower-cost carriers “can really move the market” and will mean strong competition for the existing Victoria-to-Toronto service.
