St. John’s International Airport Welcomes WestJet’s New Service to Dublin
St. John's International Airport Authority is pleased with WestJet's announcement today that it will be commencing its first transatlantic flights with service from St. John's International Airport to Dublin Airport, operating between June and October, starting in 2014.In addition to the daily direct flight to and from Dublin, WestJet will be adding daily service from St. John's to and from Toronto and Ottawa that will facilitate connections to the daily Dublin service.
"We are thrilled to be part of WestJet's launch into Europe, and that they have chosen Dublin as their first European destination.We have been working with the Dublin Airport and Ambassador Loyola Hearn for a number of years to improve air access between Atlantic Canada and Ireland, and we are delighted that WestJet will be offering this service," said Marie Manning, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, St. John's International Airport Authority.
"As a Government, we are extremely pleased WestJet will be offering daily, direct flights from St. John's to Dublin, Ireland starting next year. This additional direct access will create better access to European markets. Our government believes firmly in our Air Access Strategy and WestJet's announcement further proves that not only is our hard work paying off, but we are solidly positioning ourselves as a strong destination to do business," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development.
The new Dublin service will utilize a 136-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft, and will operate daily for sixteen (16) weeks, commencing on June 15, 2014 and running until October 5, 2014.The Dublin flight will depart St. John's at 11:15pm and arrive in Dublin at 7am.The return flight will depart Dublin at 8:20am and arrive in St. John's at 9:55am.The additional Toronto and Ottawa flights will allow WestJet passengers from other parts of Canada to avail of this new service through St. John's.
St. John's International Airport has experienced significant growth over the last ten years, with passenger volumes reaching a record level of 1.5 million in 2012, and has continued to grow this year by approximately 3%.The additional flights announced by WestJet will support the increased demand for airline seats at St. John's International Airport, both within Canada and internationally, and will facilitate the continued economic growth of the region.
"There are very strong cultural ties between Newfoundland and Labrador and Ireland that will be further strengthened with this new air service.The improved accessibility between the regions will also support tourism, business and the recruitment efforts of the business community that have identified Ireland as a source of skilled workers to assist with the development of the more than $50 billion worth of megaprojects under construction in our province.The additional flights to both Toronto and Ottawa will also help satisfy the growing demand for air service to and from our Airport and central Canada.We look forward to working with WestJet to ensure these flights are a success," said Marie Manning, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, St. John's International Airport Authority.
WestJet presently offers direct flights from St. John's to Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Orlando and Punta Cana.The new services being offered to Dublin and Ottawa increase the total number of destinations served by WestJet from St. John's International Airport from five (5) to seven (7).