Betting on a surge of domestic air travel demand, Swoop is expanding its fleet with six new Boeing MAX-8 aircraft, and its national network with new flights in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and the prairies.
"We saw demand for travel return in a very meaningful way over the holidays, signalling that Canadians are ready to reunite with family and friends," said Bert van der Stege, Swoop's Head of Commercial & Finance.
"The acquisition of six new aircraft in response to anticipated demand will ensure Swoop reconnects more Canadians this summer while accelerating Canada's economic recovery."
In announcing the expansion, the WestJet subsidiary said its low-cost model has proven resilient through the pandemic. The airline carried around one million pax in 2021, and despite ongoing travel restrictions, Swoop says it saw strong demand for both domestic and international travel over the peak holiday period. That trend has continued, the airline said.
The expansion will bring Swoop's total non-stop domestic routes served to 37 this summer and includes a significant investment in Atlantic Canada. It will see service at three new destinations, as Swoop increases capacity across the region by 273 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels.
"Swoop is pleased to support Newfoundland and Labrador's Come Home 2022 campaign and stimulate recovery of the visitor economy with access to affordable air travel," said van der Stege.
"We know how important the re-opening of travel and tourism is for regional economic recovery and continue to call on the federal government to outline a roadmap for the recovery of air travel that is based on science and reflective of the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Here are the details of Swoop's new Canadian routes:
Newfoundland and Labrador
Deer Lake - Hamilton, 2x weekly (May 21)
St. John's - Hamilton, 5x weekly (June 13)
Deer Lake - Toronto, 2x weekly (June 20)
New Brunswick
Moncton - Hamilton - 4x weekly (May 9)
Saint John - Toronto - 4x weekly (May 12)
Moncton - Edmonton - 2x weekly (May 9)
Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown - Hamilton - 4x weekly (May 1)
Charlottetown - Toronto - 3x weekly (May 2)
Charlottetown - Edmonton - 2x weekly (May 1)
Nova Scotia
Halifax - Edmonton - 5x weekly (May 1)
Halifax - Ottawa - Daily (June 19)
Ontario
Ottawa - Winnipeg - 4x weekly (June 19)
Winnipeg - Toronto - Daily (June 20)
Saskatchewan
Saskatoon - Winnipeg - 2x weekly (June 14)
Saskatoon - Toronto - 2x weekly (June 22)
Regina - Winnipeg - 2x weekly (June 16)
Regina - Toronto - 2x weekly (June 22)
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