WestJet has revealed this week that 16 of their aircraft were damaged by a hail storm in Calgary, resulting in the cancellation of over 300 flights.
Over the course of this week, the airline has been keeping passengers up to date with what has been going on.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
The Total Flight Cancellations by WestJet Due to Aircraft Damaged by Hail in Calgary…
A total of 342 flights were cancelled by WestJet due to the 16 aircraft being damaged by hail in Calgary.
On a day-by-day basis, this is the breakdown in cancellations:
| Total cancellations | |
| Monday, August 5 | 58 |
| Tuesday, August 6 | 106 |
| Wednesday, August 7 | 86 |
| Thursday, August 8 | 47 |
| Friday, August 9 | 45 |
On August 7, Diederik Pen, WestJet Group, President of WestJet and Group Chief Operating Officer had this to say on the issues:
“As an airline that is proud to call Calgary our home, the extreme weather events that occurred on Monday evening had a disproportionate impact on our people, who experienced damage to their homes and vehicles; our fleet, and our partners at YYC Calgary International Airport”.
“The severity and direction of the actual thunderstorm and hail became clear less than 30 minutes before impact, and we are extremely appreciative of our people who took quick action, prioritizing safety above all while limiting damage to our fleet and operation, wherever possible.”
Latest Updates from the Airline…
When the hail storm happened in Calgary, this was the fleet status of the WestJet operation out of the Canadian airport:
- 22 company aircraft were on the ground
- 4 were moved into a hangar for protection
- 9 aircraft diverted
- 2 aircraft have been cleared with minor damage
- 16 aircraft are significantly damaged
At this stage, it is still unclear which particular airframes were actually damaged.
No further updates have been added by WestJet regarding the damage caused since August 8.
Overall…
In conclusion, it remains clear that the hail storm damage in Calgary has affected the WestJet operation significantly.
Furthermore, all eyes will be on when normal operations will be fully restored.
This will also put a dent in the airline’s revenues as well.
This is due to the fact that the 16 aircraft represent 10% of the airline’s wider fleet.
For now, all eyes are on what comes next for the Canadian carrier in the aftermath of this.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly newsleter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
