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Canada's second-largest airline, and second busiest by number of passengers served, WestJet has cut four routes from Canada to Europe on its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in recent years. The airline ended its route from Halifax to Glasgow in 2022, while Halifax to Madrid and Copenhagen ended this year.
The outlier in all of this is the airline's nonstop service from 
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Glasgow, the sole service in this analysis to be cut from the country's largest city. Let's examine these cuts using data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
Glasgow Loses Two Nonstop Links With The MAX 8
WestJet launched its first services to Glasgow from Halifax back in 2015, and operated these on a Northern Hemisphere summer season rotation up until 2019. Of course, the COVID-19 Pandemic put a pause on these operations in 2020 and 2021, and the airline resumed the service in 2022.
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Glasgow was added by WestJet in 2026 from Toronto, a route that was served throughout the summer season. This route was canceled after just one summer, and now all services to Scotland are funneled to Edinburgh Airport (EDI), with the carrier flying nonstop from Calgary International Airport (YYC), Toronto, and Halifax.
|
From |
To |
Last Year Served |
Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Halifax (YHZ) |
Glasgow (GLA) |
2022 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
|
Toronto (YYZ) |
Glasgow (GLA) |
2026 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
This leaves the Canadian carrier with just four United Kingdom gateways. These are being London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), Edinburgh, and Cardiff (CWL).
Madrid and Copenhagen Were Short-Lived
WestJet added the Spanish capital of Madrid as part of a transatlantic network expansion from Halifax in 2026. The route was served to 
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) onboard the airline's MAX 8 for the 2026 summer season, and after just a few months, the airline has ultimately pulled the pin without plans to resume the route in 2027 as yet.
|
From |
To |
Last Year Served |
Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Halifax (YHZ) |
Madrid (MAD) |
2026 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
|
Halifax (YHZ) |
Copenhagen (CPH) |
2026 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
The airline made similar moves with its first service to Denmark. Flights were operated from Halifax through the 2026 summer to Copenhagen Airport (CPH), with the airline axing the route after just one season. This leaves Madrid and Copenhagen unserved by WestJet; however, 
Air Canada, Canada's flag carrier operates to these airports from Toronto and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL).
A Look At WestJet's Transatlantic Operations In The Last Decade
WestJet has gradually grown its European network, and looking at data over the last decade, the airline has grown from 516 flights in 2016 to 1,643 this year alone. The airline's addition of the 787 Dreamliner and retirement of the 767-300ER have significantly boosted its transatlantic operations. From its beginning in 1994, WestJet was first developed as a low-cost carrier.
|
Year |
WestJet's Departures To Europe |
% Operated By The 737 |
|---|---|---|
|
2016 |
516 |
47 |
|
2017 |
512 |
40 |
|
2018 |
647 |
46 |
|
2019 |
435 |
30 |
|
2020-2021 |
COVID-19 Pandemic and MAX Grounding |
- |
|
2022 |
577 |
35 |
|
2023 |
Hub consolidation to Western Canada, moved to widebody operations to Europe from Calgary. |
- |
|
2024 |
720 |
62 |
|
2025 |
1,187 |
63 |
|
2026 |
1,643 |
70 |
It has, however, over the last three decades, established itself as the country's second-largest airline and more of a hybrid operator. It has developed a modest onboard product, and its new aircraft, including the MAX and Dreamliner, provide comfortable onboard experiences for its short-haul and long-haul networks. WestJet is primarily owned by private equity firm Onex Corporation, while Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, and Air France-KLM own minority stakes.