Monday marked an exciting day for Calgarians looking to catch a flight down south, as WestJet announced non-stop service between Calgary and Mexico City.
The direct flights from YYC Airport to Mexico City International Airport will begin on May 14 and the Calgary-based airline says it will open a “huge gateway for possibility.”
The new route will operate five weekly flights.
“Not only will the route be a vital link for Alberta’s business sectors to connect with one of North America’s largest consumer markets, but this announcement underpins WestJet’s commitment and dedication to being Canada’s leading provider in air service to Mexico,” says Daniel Fajardo, WestJet’s VP of network and schedule planning.
Alisha Reynolds is the CEO of Tourism Calgary and says the new flights will also provide an opportunity for travellers from Mexico’s largest city to head north.
“Calgarians are going to feel really excited about their opportunity to get to Mexico City and experience all the art, culture and history there is to experience there,” says Reynolds. “But this is also a really important gateway for Mexican travellers and travellers from that region to come up to Calgary.”
Tourism Calgary says it aims to double the city’s visitor economy from $3 billion to $6 billion in the next decade.
“For us to do that, we need air access, so any route announcement, especially one as exciting as this to Mexico City, which is a city of over 20 million people, really creates a lot of opportunity for the Calgary market as well as the surrounding area,” says Reynolds.
With the addition of direct service to Mexico City, The WestJet Group, which includes WestJet and Sunwing Airlines, will serve 13 cities in Mexico from 24 Canadian cities in 2025.
WestJet added six Asian destinations to its network last year, including to Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, as well as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The flights became available through an expansion of WestJet’s codeshare agreement with Korean Air.