News

A Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean and descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in a span of about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday, leaving a British man dead and more than two dozen other passengers injured.

BermudAir launched service to Canada with its inaugural flight to Toronto Pearson last week (May 17) and will follow this week with Halifax service (May 25). The nation’s flagship airline will provide direct year-round service to YYZ three times a week – Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday – with a flight time of two and a half hours, and weekly YHZ flights on Saturdays.

WestJet Group launched its first flight to Seoul from Calgary Friday, establishing a direct link between Alberta and South Korea. The nearly sold-out WestJet flight 86 marked the first of 140 flights between Calgary and Seoul this summer, with the 787 Dreamliner service operating three times per week through Oct. 27, returning again in Spring 2025.

Air Canada is significantly boosting its schedule serving Ottawa with year-round flights to Calgary and Winnipeg, increased flights to Halifax and Quebec City, and the addition of widebody service to Vancouver. Additional schedule improvements include more flights to Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, Cancun, and Punta Cana this winter.

The authority that runs Montreal’s international airport is going to court to stop an up-and-coming suburban airport from rebranding with the city’s name, arguing it will cause confusion among travellers. But the airport being taken to court is accusing the international airport of trying to protect a “monopoly.”

WestJet celebrated the takeoff of service between Calgary and Reykjavik (Keflavik) Thursday, adding another option from Western Canada and the airline’s hub to Europe. Flights will operate four times weekly through Oct. 13 on 737 MAX aircraft, departing Calgary at 8:25 a.m.

WestJet has announced enhancements to its winter 787 schedule, including expanded year-round service between Calgary and Tokyo, as well as increased daily flights between Calgary and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle International (CDG) and London Heathrow International (LHR) Airports. The airline is also enhancing its presence on popular leisure routes with service between Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii.

Emirates has announced record profits of US$4.7 billion for 2023 as the airline fully took flight after the turbulent years of the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its operations. The airline carried 51.9 million passengers in its 2023 financial year, as compared to 43.6 million the year prior.

“Bonjour, Quebec!” WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech declared at a staff celebration of the launch of Vacances WestJet Quebec/WestJet Vacations Quebec (WVQ) yesterday at Sunwing’s airport-area office in Toronto. A concurrent event was taking place in Laval as Sunwing staff there also celebrated the launch of a “new tour operator” in the province.

U.S. airlines are suing to block the Biden administration from requiring greater transparency over fees that the carriers charge their passengers, saying that a new rule would confuse consumers by giving them too much information during the ticket-buying process. The US Transportation Department says it will vigorously defend the rule against what it called “hidden junk fees.”