CALGARY – The chief executive of WestJet Group says the federal government should not treat air travel as a luxury in a country as vast as Canada and reducing costs to the industry would help foster national unity.
In a speech to a Calgary business audience, Alexis von Hoensbroech questioned why transport infrastructure like bridges, passenger rail and ferries get federal support, while the government imposes a host of costs on the airline industry that are then passed along to consumers.
He says it’s “fundamentally wrong” that air travel is not treated as essential in a country where it’s the only connection to the outside world in many communities.
Von Hoensbroech’s remarks follow calls from several business leaders in recent months to reduce internal trade barriers and expand Canada’s international reach as the U.S. becomes an increasingly unreliable trading partner.
He says bookings into the next couple of months suggest Canadians’ cross-border travel on the airline is down in the “mid-to-high-teens percentage points” compared to last year, but that traffic is shifting to Europe and the Caribbean.
The CEO says demand changes driven by politics are usually short-lived and he’s already seeing signs the U.S. market is picking up a bit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
