There will be one less direct flight to Europe from St. John’s in the summer of 2019.
WestJet announced Thursday that its direct service from St. John’s to Dublin is ending.
“We understand this is disappointing news for the community and Newfoundland and Labrador overall and we are sorry we are unable to continue this flying in 2019,” a spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.
The St. John ‘s International Airport Authority said the launch in 2013 was the “most successful launch of a new route in WestJet’s history.”
“We are very disappointed with this decision, but with continue to work with WestJet to grow their services from our airport,” a spokesperson said in the airport’s release.
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said when he learned of the cancellation Thursday morning, he was “very disappointed.”
“We saw that as one of the essential links,” Breen said, adding that he had heard the route wasn’t doing as well as expected.
The route to Ireland has not been performing to the airline’s expectations since its launch in 2013, the spokesperson said, and will therefore be discontinued.
“It’s one of those things where we have to find a way, when aircraft carriers put these flights on, we have to find a way to ensure the ridership is there for them to continue,” Breen said.
WestJet is in the process of contacting anyone who booked a flight on the St. John’s-Dublin route to inform them of the itinerary change through the Halifax route.
The Halifax-Dublin direct service will continue in 2019, WestJet said.