WestJet is opening a pair of new long-haul routes to Scotland from next spring, connecting both Edinburgh and Glasgow with Toronto.

The service to Glasgow International (GLA) will begin on May 20, 2022, operating four times per week from Toronto Pearson (YYZ). Flights to Edinburgh (EDI) will be 3X-weekly, effective June 2.

The planned routes mark a return to the Scottish market for WestJet, which offered seasonal summer service between Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) and Glasgow before the pandemic.

OAG Schedules Analyser data shows flights on this sector last operated in October 2019 but are scheduled to return on May 3, 2022. Service will be 4X-weekly using Boeing 737-8s.

“As we continue to rebuild our international network, we're pleased to offer our guests new options to connect via our Toronto hub for business and leisure to these incredible cities,” WestJet CCO John Weatherill said.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming Edinburgh to our international network and strengthening travel and tourism between our two countries.”

Derek Provan, CEO of Glasgow Airport owner AGS Airports Ltd, said the flights are “crucial steps towards the rebuilding of Glasgow’s long-haul network and re-establishing the airport’s dominant position in the Scotland-Canada market.”

Edinburgh Airport’s CEO Gordon Dewar added the new WestJet route would satisfy leisure and VFR demand, as well as presenting “a great opportunity to strengthen business links.”

During the summer 2019 season, there were 18X-weekly services between destinations in Canada and Scotland and more than 8,400 two-way weekly seats. In addition to WestJet’s YHZ-GLA service, Air Canada served both Glasgow and Edinburgh from Toronto, while Air Transat also operated Toronto-Glasgow flights.

Although subject to change, Air Canada has filed plans to resume YYZ-EDI on June 1, 2022 and Air Transat intends to restart YYZ-GLA on April 1.

O&D traffic between Canada and Scotland totaled about 268,000 two-way passengers in 2019, with Toronto-Glasgow the biggest city-pair, accounting for about 39% of the traffic. The figures, provided by Sabre Market Intelligence, show that Toronto-Edinburgh was the second largest with about 11%.

WestJet is currently operating four routes to Europe, flying to Amsterdam (AMS), London Gatwick (LGW) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) from Calgary (YYC), and LGW from YYZ. The Amsterdam route launched on Aug. 5 and CDG service resumed on Aug. 20.

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