Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information about any information on any advertiser product, please visit their website. We receive compensation from some financial institutions listed on this site. Although we are compensated for each approved financial product through our website’s affiliate links, our research and content are based on an objective analysis. †Terms and conditions apply.
WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, has just announced a massive order for 67 new Boeing aircraft. With this acquisition, the carrier claims to have the largest order book of any Canadian airline. This major expansion is part of a long-term growth strategy that also includes initiatives such as the recent launch of a business credit card.
Let’s examine this aircraft order in detail, which marks a significant turning point in WestJet’s evolution.
WestJet has revealed that it is purchasing 67 new Boeing aircraft, with options for 29 additional planes:
With this order, WestJet’s firm order book now stands at 123 aircraft. This order was placed in June 2025, but has only now been disclosed.
To put WestJet’s overall fleet in context, the company currently operates approximately 193 aircraft (including 147 Boeing 737s, 7 Boeing 787s, and 39 DeHavilland Q400s):
This latest order extends WestJet’s fleet growth plans until 2034, suggesting that some of these aircraft will not be delivered until the 2030s.
The Canadian aviation market presents unique challenges. On one hand, it benefits from advantages such as lower costs than in the United States, purely from a monetary perspective. Its geographical position is also ideal for sixth-freedom flights, such as transporting passengers from the United States to Europe via Canada.
On the other hand, aviation in Canada faces countless challenges. Airport fees are high, the country is vast, and the population is relatively small, which limits the number of markets that can support significant capacity.
WestJet is led by competent individuals, although we do not know all the details of its finances as it is not publicly traded. We recently learned that Delta and Korean Air are investing in WestJet, which will open up interesting new flight opportunities.
Doubling the Dreamliner fleet makes perfect sense, as seven aircraft seem like a very limited fleet, with possibilities for expansion. WestJet has opportunities across both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
What’s particularly interesting is WestJet’s full commitment to the Boeing 737 MAX 10. Assuming the aircraft is certified, it will offer incredibly low unit costs, being a very efficient aircraft.
The challenge, as many airlines have found over the years, is actually filling larger capacity aircraft. Airline executives are always enthusiastic when they see planes with good unit costs, but if you can only fill 60% of the seats, those better unit costs lose their appeal.
For example, currently, a good portion of WestJet’s fleet consists of 737-700s with 132 seats, which will likely be phased out. Meanwhile, the 737 MAX 10s will have 212 seats.
It will therefore be interesting to see what WestJet does with these aircraft, especially in winter. To be clear, I’m not suggesting WestJet is making a bad decision; I think it’s wise to opt for aircraft with low unit costs. But the company is planning a fairly significant transformation of its fleet in the coming years, in terms of average capacity per aircraft.
WestJet’s strategy contrasts sharply with that of Southwest in the United States, which focuses on the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 8, and doesn’t even have any 737 MAX 9s or 737 MAX 10s on order.
Alongside this fleet expansion, WestJet also announced on August 14 the launch of the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard for Business‡, Canada’s first and only business credit card that instantly offers primary cardholders elite status with an airline.
This new card immediately grants WestJet Rewards Silver status to primary cardholders, offering them the fastest way to earn WestJet points and maximize their travel rewards. Cardholders also benefit from a comprehensive range of travel insurance, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
This initiative is a continuation of the changes made to the WestJet Rewards loyalty program in April 2025, which saw the conversion of WestJet dollars into WestJet points and the introduction of new ways to use these points to cover the entire cost of flights, including taxes and fees.
It’s worth noting that WestJet carried out a major overhaul of its loyalty program in April 2025, with two main changes:
This transformation has also made it easier to access higher tiers of the program, with easier-to-reach thresholds, especially for holders of the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard, who now earn $200 in recognized tier spending for every $5,000 in purchases.
The limit of 3 Accelerators per calendar year has been replaced by a new maximum of 50 Accelerators annually, allowing even Platinum status to be reached without necessarily traveling frequently with WestJet.
WestJet has just unveiled an ambitious fleet expansion plan, with firm orders for 67 additional aircraft, including 60 Boeing 737 MAX 10s and 7 Boeing 787-9s. In total, the company now has firm orders for 123 aircraft. This expansion is accompanied by complementary initiatives such as the launch of a business credit card and the recent overhaul of its loyalty program.
It will be fascinating to observe WestJet’s expansion and, in particular, its ability to fill these larger-capacity Boeing 737 MAX 10s, especially within the context of the unique challenges of the Canadian market.
Savings are here (if you don’t see the sign-up form, please click here):
You can change your preferences or opt out at any time by clicking on one of the hyperlinks available at the bottom of each newsletter.
If you are already a subscriber and would like to unsubscribe, you can click on the link at the bottom of any of our e-mails.
