WestJet to shut down Sunwing airlines

Operations at Sunwing Airlines will soon be winding down as WestJet plans to merge the budget airline into its mainline business within two years.

The Canadian Press was the first to report the news on Saturday, June 17, stating that it obtained an internal memo in which Len Corrado, president of Sunwing Airlines, made the announcement.

According to The Canadian Press, Corrado stated that the upcoming changes will unlock growth opportunities for the company and its employees.

On its own, WestJet has 14,000 employees and 180 aircraft. It covers more than 110 destinations across 24 countries.

On the other hand, Sunwing offers direct service to airports across Canada and popular, sun-drenched tourist destinations in the US, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico.

WestJet is Canada's second-largest airline, and in May, the company announced that it completed its much-awaited acquisition of Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations.

The deal was initially announced in March 2022 and was approved by the Canadian government in March 2023.

In an email, a WestJet representative stated, "While we can confirm the eventual integration of Sunwing Airlines into WestJet, the anticipated timeline to do so has not been determined at this time."

She added, "To provide further clarity, Sunwing Vacations will continue to operate as part of the WestJet Group and will not be impacted by the airline integration."

WestJet’s representative added that the company's focus is the "integration of Swoop's highly successful business model across WestJet's operations."

On June 9, WestJet announced that it would be shutting down Swoop, its low-cost subsidiary.

WestJet Group is beginning efforts to integrate Swoop into its operations through an expedited process.

The integration is expected to reach completion at the end of October 2023.