Aviation

WestJet’s first wide-body aircraft.

CALGARY, Aug. 27, 2015 – WestJet today ushers in a new era in the airline’s 19-year history with the arrival early this morning of the first of four Boeing 767-300 extended range aircraft, allowing the airline to begin serving Europe and other regions of the world from Canada on a non-stop basis. Inaugural wide-body flights will begin in early September.

“The arrival of our first wide-body aircraft opens the next chapter in the evolution and growth of Canada’s low-fare leader,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. “WestJet has been liberating Canadians from the high cost of air travel since 1996, bringing low fares and friendly, caring, people-driven service to communities from coast to coast. The launch of WestJet Encore in 2013 gave Canadians in smaller centres much-needed relief from high fares and the opportunity to connect to WestJet’s ever-expanding domestic, trans-border and international networks. Shortly, with the arrival of our first wide-body aircraft as an important milestone, we will offer Canadians from cities across our network the chance to fly non-stop to Europe and other regions at prices not seen in recent memory. As we have throughout our history, we will continue to lower airfares and make travel more affordable.”

Featuring a new teal and blue maple leaf-themed logo that will eventually appear on all WestJet aircraft, the airline’s 767s seat 262 guests and have a range of approximately 11 hours. The aircraft will include a Plus cabin with 24 premium seats in a two-by-two configuration, hot meals and all of the other amenities associated with Plus. The main cabin has 238 seats, with two seats on either side of the aircraft and three in the middle. By next spring all four 767s will be equipped with WestJet Connect, the airline’s new inflight entertainment and wireless connectivity system.

The four aircraft will arrive separately over the next eight months. The aircraft that arrives today will begin service in September and operate flights between Toronto andCalgary for the next several months. With the arrival of two additional wide-bodies this fall, the 767s will be flying from Alberta to Hawaii and between Toronto andMontego Bay, Jamaica beginning in December. The fourth and final aircraft will arrive next spring just prior to the launch of WestJet’s new service to London (Gatwick) in May 2016.

Following discussions over the summer with airports across the country, the airline will announce the Canadian cities from which it will operate its summer schedule, including to London, in mid-September.

WestJet will host a live stream of the arrival of the aircraft via Periscope tonight. Viewers wishing to tune in should have a Periscope account and follow WestJet. The exact time of the live stream will be announced later today on WestJet’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.

About WestJet
We are proud to be Canada’s highest-rated airline for customer service, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country’s top employers. We offer scheduled service to 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our regional airline, WestJet Encore, and with partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 120 destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet’s extensive network,

Aviation

Boeing, Antonov to Collaborate on Defense Projects

– MOU represents Boeing’s commitment to work with Ukrainian industry

– Includes exploring opportunities for collaborating on in-country support of Unmanned Aerial Systems

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today by Boeing and Antonov Company to investigate potential collaboration on defense-related projects.

“We’re happy to keep collaborating with the Antonov Company to help Ukraine’s economic development and expansion,” stated Ted Colbert, CEO and president of Boeing Defence, Space, & Security.

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“This agreement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to find more opportunities to work with Ukrainian industry, which was underscored by our signing of the Ukrainian Defence Industry Compact earlier this year.”

The areas of potential collaboration identified in the agreement consist of training, logistical support and overhaul services for tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems utilized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which includes the ScanEagle. In addition, the companies will also explore opportunities for Antonov to provide engineering support to Boeing.

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“A strong, innovative, and efficient defense industry is key to sustainable economic development and national security, and we are extremely excited to collaborate with Boeing,” said Ievhen Gavrylov, CEO of Antonov Company.

This agreement brings a whole new level of opportunity to implement the latest and most effective solutions – in addition to the possibility of future projects with Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry.”