WestJet’s doubling of its widebody fleet show it’s thinking long haul over the long term

WestJet's recent significant order with Boeing is a move to ensure that it has an ample pipeline of aircraft for the foreseeable future.

But the more intriguing element of its latest aircraft order is the doubling of its young fleet of Boeing 787 widebodies.

The airline put a freeze on its widebody growth in 2022, and opted to base all the twin-aisle jets at its headquarters and largest base at Calgary. But even though the airline capped widebody expansion, WestJet's twin-aisle operations have appeared to be successful during the past couple of years.

Now, with the resumption of widebody growth, the question is: how and where will WestJet deploy its new 787s?