Canadian carrier WestJet will continue to cancel flights “for the foreseeable future” following damage to 16 aircraft in a hailstorm more than a week ago.
Inspections and repairs will take “several weeks”, the airline disclosed.
The hailstorm hit WestJet’s global hub in Calgary on the evening of August 5 and more than 10% of the airline’s fleet continue to undergo work.
WestJet is cancelling an average of 50 flights per day but expects that fewer cancellations will be required as aircraft are returned to service in a phased approach.
The proactive cancellations are being made across August “to account for reduced capacity”.
A comprehensive assessment of the damage “determined that sourcing specialised equipment and materials and completing repairs and inspections will take several weeks,” the airline said.
It will “continue issuing proactive cancellations for the foreseeable future, as the airline works diligently to safely return all 16 impacted aircraft to service.
“Through the proactive issuance of cancellations across the month of August, WestJet will aim to minimise disruption, secure re-accommodation options for those impacted wherever possible, while providing guests with timely communication and options to appropriately manage their own travel in advance.”
WestJet president Diederik Pen said: “We share in Canadians’ frustration for the unpredictable nature of this summer travel season and are incredibly disappointed that the compounding impacts of last week’s hailstorm continue to disrupt the travel plans of our valued guests.
“Our dedicated tech ops teams have travelled from across our network to Calgary and Toronto where they are working around the clock to return our fleet to its full capacity.
“We thank everyone for their patience and support and are committed to doing everything in our power to minimise the impact on our guests and our people.”