WestJet is Canada’s second-largest airline. In the critically important summer month of July, with the highest demand and fares, the carrier plans an average of 16 daily departures to Europe. This is based on its latest schedule submission to Cirium Diio and includes all flights: those operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and the 787-9.

The airline’s activity in July increased by a substantial 25% compared to the prior record, albeit from a relatively low foundation. Flights operated by the 737 MAX 8 have risen by 40% compared to the previous peak. That month, WestJet’s departures to Europe on all equipment vary from just 12 on the less popular Tuesdays to 19 on Fridays, which has much higher demand.

One New Route Starts On May 1

This article was written on May 1. On this day, WestJet’s next 737 MAX 8-operated route will begin. It is from Halifax to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, which is a brand-new city pair. It is bound to make my weekly celebratory new routes article (see this week’s edition).

WestJet will serve Lisbon for the first time. Covering just 2,420 nautical miles (4,482 km) each way, the carrier runs five times weekly using the 174-seat MAX 8. While food/drink is included, there is no seat-back entertainment, but passengers may stream entertainment to their own device using the airline’s app and pay to use Starlink Wi-Fi.

According to Flightradar24, the aircraft operating the first round-trip service is the 7.9-year-old C-FNWD. Due to Lisbon’s renowned lack of slots, flights operate during the day to Europe, as shown below. Notice the horrific ~6 AM departure from Lisbon, which will be particularly poor for Canadians returning from vacation. It is WestJet’s first and only daytime Europe-bound operation.

Perhaps surprisingly, two-way connectivity to/from Canadian cities is extremely limited without a long and far less competitive wait in Halifax. As such, it’ll be disproportionately reliant on local traffic. Yet, booking data shows low existing traffic of fewer than 10,000 passengers. With about 44,000 two-way seats available this year, it’ll have to grow traffic significantly.

Four More 737 MAX Routes To Europe Begin In May

Credit: WestJet

In two weeks, on May 15, WestJet will take off from Halifax to Madrid (three to four weekly MAX 8) and Toronto to Glasgow (four weekly MAX 8). It will be the first time that the link to Spain’s capital has been served from Nova Scotia. It’ll mark the Canadian carrier’s debut in Madrid. It’ll be WestJet’s third route to Spain, joining Calgary to Barcelona (began in 2023; 787-9) and Halifax to Barcelona (started in 2025; MAX 8).

WestJet will return to Glasgow after a four-year absence. It’ll compete directly with Air Transat (six weekly during the summer). WestJet last operated to Glasgow amid the pandemic in 2022, when it pulled out and moved the Toronto route to Edinburgh in 2024. In 2026, it’ll fly from Canada’s busiest airport to both Scottish cities for the first time.

On May 22, it’ll launch flights from Toronto to Cardiff (four weekly MAX 8), with this city pair last served by Zoom in 2008. When flights begin, WestJet will fly to five airports in the UK for the first time. The following week, on May 28, it’ll lift off from Halifax to Copenhagen (three to four weekly MAX 8), becoming Halifax’s new longest service operated by a Canadian carrier.

The route to Denmark will benefit from WestJet’s codeshare agreement with SAS, which involves ten cities from Copenhagen. Moreover, unlike flights between Halifax and Lisbon, those to Madrid and Copenhagen connect much more conveniently to/from other Canadian cities.

Three European Routes Will Begin In June

Credit: Shutterstock

On June 12, it’ll take off from Toronto to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores (three to four weekly MAX 8). Until 2020, this market had not been served, at least not for a long time. Azores Airlines launched flights that year, which continue in 2026. Critically, Air Canada and WestJet will also serve the market this year, becoming the first time more than one airline has operated. Which carrier will blink first?

The final two routes will launch at the end of the month. On June 26, WestJet will inaugurate flights from Edmonton to Keflavik (weekly MAX 8), which was last served by Icelandair in 2020. The next day, the carrier will take off from Winnipeg to Keflavik (weekly MAX 8), which the now-defunct Iceland Express served until 15 years ago.

WestJet will have three routes to Iceland this year, joining flights from Calgary, which started in 2024. In contrast, Air Canada has two routes (Montreal and Toronto), while Icelandair serves three Canadian cities (Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver).