WestJet last night launched its long-awaited service to Rome with the departure of WestJet flight 32 from YYC Calgary International Airport at 6:20 p.m. local time. This first ever scheduled connection between Calgary and Rome, operated on WestJet's 320-seat 787 Dreamliner, marked a major milestone in the recovery of Alberta's travel and tourism industry and was celebrated alongside The Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Alberta's Minister of Transportation and Bob Sartor, President and CEO, YYC Calgary Airport Authority.

WestJet's new service to and from Rome rounds out the airline's enhanced investments in Alberta's transatlantic connectivity and is providing Alberta with a 43 per cent increase in WestJet's service to Europe, compared to 2019. With five European destinations to explore, Western Canadians and northwestern based Americans can now seamlessly connect to Rome, Paris, Dublin and both London-Heathrow and Gatwick from WestJet's convenient Calgary hub.  This new connection will further expedite Canada's travel and tourism recovery as international visitors benefit from a convenient non-stop flight to experience the vibrancy of what Alberta and Canada has to offer.

WestJet's service to Rome will operate during peak season up to three-times weekly.  The flight was originally set to launch in May of 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

WestJet Cargo increases offerings between Canada and Italy

Working in tandem with WestJet's commercial between Calgary and Rome, WestJet Cargo will offer approximately 120 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity directly between Calgary and Rome on the airline's 787 Dreamliner. WestJet Cargo's shipments will provide increased capacity for a diverse array of products including luxury fashion products, pharmaceuticals and e-commerce. Prior to the launch of the flight, in 2021 alone, WestJet Cargo facilitated the delivery of more than 60,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Italy to destinations across Canada and the United States.