WestJet is deploying its brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Rome! In fact, the Canadian carrier made the announcement via an October 30th press conference, Twitter post, as well as a press release. This seasonal service will connect Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and Calgary International Airport (YYC).In the press release, Fausto Palombelli, the Chief Commercial Officer of Aeroporti di Roma said the following:

"We are extremely proud to welcome WestJet to Rome Fiumicino Airport as its new destination in Europe and first in Italy. Rome Fiumicino, the first airport in Europe for passenger satisfaction, is constantly developing as the main Italian hub and preferred gateway to the Mediterranean and Southeast Europe. The new WestJet flight is the answer to an increasing demand between Canada and Italy, that has been growing beyond the capacity introduced into the market. Flying non-stop to Calgary will allow Italian customers to reach and discover a destination never served before and provide preferential access to central and western Canada and the U.S."

Flight details

CBC reports that the flights will be offered once a week starting on May 2nd, 2020. Service will increase then to three flights a week commencing May 28th, 2020. The Canadian broadcaster also reports that this flight path is still awaiting government approval. However - with such public attention, it seems like the airline is fairly confident the move will have government approval.

Below is a chart provided by WestJet outlining the schedule for this new service:

Route

Frequency

Departing

Arriving

Effective

Calgary-Rome (FCO)

One-time weekly

6 p.m.

12 p.m. (+1)

May 2, 2020

Rome (FCO)- Calgary

One-time weekly

2 p.m.

4:33 p.m.

May 3, 2020

Calgary-Rome (FCO)

Three-times weekly

6 p.m.

12 p.m. (+1)

May 28, 2020

Rome (FCO)- Calgary

Three-times weekly

2 p.m.

4:33 p.m.

May 29, 2020

WestJet's 787 fleet

This new transatlantic service will operate using WestJet's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. These aircraft were part of an order placed in May 2017 and finally began operating earlier this year.

In fact, the airline also announced today that it will add over 300 Dreamliner departures, up 52% in 2019. These departures will all operate out of Calgary:

  • Calgary-London (Gatwick) six-times weekly commencing April 4th, 2020. This will become a daily service from April 14th, 2020.
  • Calgary-Paris starting March 12th, three-times per week. This will increase to four times per week on April 6th and finally increase to six times weekly on June 2nd, 2020.
  • The airline's Calgary-Dublin service will resume twice-weekly service on May 3rd, 2020 and increase to three times per week starting on May 30th, 2020.
westjet-787-dreamliner-2020
WS1 eventually re-departed at 23:30 and landed in London at 14:33 without further incidents. Photo: Alec Wilson via Wikimedia Commons

Conclusion

WestJet has been patiently waiting to modernize its fleet after taking on some problematic older Boeing 767s from Qantas several years ago. Unfortunately, its attempt at modernizing its 737 fleet is on hold as the 737 MAX crisis drags on. Finally, it's great to see these brand new 787s deploy to brand new destinations and expand WestJet's network and give Air Canada some healthy competition!

Have you flown on any WestJet 787 flights yet? Let us know how the experience was by leaving a comment!

WestJet B787 Delivery
WestJet's first B787 was delivered recently. Photo: Boeing