Summary
WestJet said that two aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 787-9, have returned to service following a severe hailstorm in Calgary, Canada, on August 5.
In total, the severe weather event resulted in 17 WestJet aircraft suffering damage.
The carrier canceled 888 flights between August 5 and August 21, with further cancelations set to occur between August 23 and August 28.
WestJet has returned two aircraft to service following the intense hailstorm in Calgary, Canada, on August 5, which damaged more than 10% of its fleet.
Returning aircraft
In a statement WestJet provided to Simple Flying, the airline confirmed that two aircraft have been repaired and returned to service. As a result, 15 aircraft are still undergoing repairs and inspections, which included four De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 and 11 jet-powered aircraft, added the spokesperson.
While initially, WestJet disclosed that 16 of its aircraft had been damaged by the hailstorm, the company’s representative told Simple Flying that further inspections revealed another aircraft required minimal repairs and has already returned to service, taking the total number of damaged aircraft to 17.
“We can confirm that the two aircraft that have safely returned to service are a Boeing 737 MAX 8 and a 787 Dreamliner.”
Flight cancelations
Meanwhile, according to data that Flightradar24 provided to Simple Flying, the flight tracking website identified that WestJet canceled 888 flights between August 5 and August 21. During the same period, the airline scheduled 10,497 flights, meaning that 8.5% of its flights were canceled.
Forward-looking data from Flightradar24 showed that WestJet has planned to cancel another 100 flights between August 23 and August 28, which included domestic flights and itineraries to the US.
According to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, during the same five-day period, the airline, including WestJet Encore, which operates the Dash 8 Q400s, has scheduled 3,521 flights.
As a result, 2.8% of its flights between August 23 and August 28 should be canceled. Cirium data showed that the airline will operate the fewest flights on August 24, with 551 scheduled flights on that day.
Working to restore its fleet
In the initial service update on August 7, WestJet said that a “comprehensive safety assessment” has identified at least 16 aircraft or 10% of its total fleet, required substantial repairs and inspections before the aircraft could continue flying commercially.
Diederik Pen, the president of WestJet and the chief operating officer (COO) of WestJet Group, said that the extreme weather events on August 5 had a disproportionate impact on the carrier’s people, its fleet, and its partners at Calgary International Airport (YYC).
“The severity and direction of the actual thunderstorm and hail became clear less than 30 minutes before impact, and we are extremely appreciative of our people who took quick action, prioritizing safety above all while limiting damage to our fleet and operation, wherever possible.”
The airline detailed that 22 aircraft were on the ground, four were moved into hangars for protection, nine aircraft diverted from YYC, and two aircraft have been cleared to return to service when the hailstorm happened, in addition to the 16 – 17 that were significantly damaged.
On August 14, Pen stated that the airline shared Canadians’ frustration with the unpredictable nature of this summer travel season, adding that WestJet was disappointed that the hailstorm has continued to affect the carrier’s operations in the short term.