LONDON – In the last hour, WestJet has announced it will acquire Sunwing Airlines & Sunwing Vacations.
When the transaction closes, WestJet will create a new tour operating business unit, which will include both Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations Inc.
This new unit will be led by Sunwing’s current CEO Stephen Hunter.
Commenting on the news was WestJet’s CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech who expressed excitement over the deal:
“This is an exciting moment for WestJet, Sunwing, and Canada’s travel industry”.
“We are bringing together two highly complementary businesses with powerhouse brands to strengthen our successful leisure business and deliver greater value to our guests.”
“This combination brings together Canada’s two original low-cost carriers and positions us to accelerate growth in value-oriented travel, already the fastest-growing segment of the airline market.”
“It creates new opportunities for our people, our operational partners and supports the recovery from a global pandemic that has been particularly challenging for the Canadian travel and tourism industry including local airports and businesses we work closely with.”
This is considerable news within the Canadian aviation sector, as more consolidation continues to hit the airline industry globally.
