You would have thought everyone would be home by now. Yet WestJet only confirmed this week that it has finally flown its final repatriation flight – four months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airline said its July 17 flight from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to Toronto signified the conclusion of repatriation flight program in collaboration with the federal government. In total, WestJet flew 28 missions to 14 destinations to bring more than 4,000 Canadians back to Canada.
“Our commitment to the prime minister was to bring as many Canadians home as possible; and following 28 missions, we are grateful for the volunteer contributions of more than 200 WestJetters and the collaboration from our airport and government partners,” said WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims, adding, “These individuals came together and demonstrated their Canadian spirit to ensure the safe return of our country’s citizens.”
Since the airline’s inaugural repatriation flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 4, it flew approximately and across almost 200,000 km, the equivalent of five trips around the world, to carry Canadians home. The airline made stops in one new continent (South America), five new countries (El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti) and 10 destinations previously served by WestJet.
“Over the last few months, Canada undertook its largest and most complex ever consular operation in peace time to help Canadians return home during the COVID-19 pandemic. This operation could not have been a success without the extraordinary support of airlines and their dedicated employees who helped us bring more than 50,000 Canadians home,” said foreign affairs minister François-Philippe Champagne.
Across 104 days, it took hundreds of mostly volunteer WestJetters to organize the flights and operating crews. At each destination airport partners ensured all guests were health screened and temperature checked prior to boarding.
Flights by the numbers
• 196,575 km flown (round-trip)
• 4,073 guests
• More than 400 guests in wheelchairs assisted
• 286 hours of flying time (approximately 12 straight days of flight)
• 200+ volunteer WestJetters
• 103 days of organization and missions
• 75 pets in cabin
• 28 flights
• 9 WestJet destinations (Cuba, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago)
• 5 new countries (El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti)
• 2 different aircraft (Boeing 737-800, 737-700)
• 1 new continent (South America)