WestJet is calling for a national aviation strategy to address rising costs and support competition, affordable fares and air links across Canada. Chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech made the appeal at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, pointing to higher jet-fuel prices alongside airport and passenger charges, navigation costs, taxes, passenger-protection rules and labour disruptions. The airline argues that carriers can pass on only part of fuel increases through fares and have limited margins to absorb the rest.
Von Hoensbroech also criticized direct government financing for some airlines, arguing that it can disadvantage carriers operating on commercial terms. WestJet’s call is a proposal from the airline; no agreed federal strategy is identified. The company compared Canadian costs with those in the United States, citing airport improvement fees that can reach C$40 in Canada against a US$4.50 cap in the United States.
WestJet pointed to its Calgary operation as an example of coordinated investment. It serves more than 100 nonstop destinations from the city, nearly twice its pre-pandemic total, and made Calgary its global connecting hub under a 2022 agreement with Alberta. That agreement set out related investments in the province’s aviation sector.