Gallery: Behind The Scenes At Canadian Carrier WestJet

WestJet’s head office in Calgary spans over 314,000 ft.² and is eco-friendly with a gold green rating.

WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech sits in his unassuming cubicle overseeing the ramp at Calgary International Airport, where the airline holds a near 70% market share. The CEO is widely known for his lack of pretense, approachability, and flying in the airline’s main cabin where he asks for passenger feedback.

A Boeing 737-700, one of 35 in the fleet, undergoes a line check at WestJet’s Calgary Maintenance Base. WestJet has MROs at Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver. The airline is accelerating the phase out of the smallest member of its jet fleet as more 737 MAX-8s are delivered.

An overhauled CFM CFM56-7B awaits hanging on one of the carrier’s Boeing 737NGs at the carrier’s Calgary MRO. WestJet has a long-term agreement with Lufthansa Technik to manage the maintenance and overhaul of its CFM56-7B engines.

WestJet VP operational performance and integrated planning Safa Yamach in the airline’s operations control center. WestJet operates between 600 and 700 flights each day across four continents to up to 130 destinations. 

Mannequins set up at WestJet’s cabin crew training center in Calgary for flight attendant CPR and medical training. WestJet has about 4,500 mainline flight attendants who are all trained here.

This Boeing 787 business class seat, designed by B/E Aerospace, is used for training by WestJet flight attendants. Onboard, the 16 private suites convert into 180-degree flat beds.

WestJet, now in its 30^th year, has become Canada’s second largest airline after Air Canada. The Calgary carrier operates almost 200 aircraft, including Boeing 787-9s, Boeing 737NGs, Boeing 737 MAX-8s and De Havilland Dash-8 400s. It also has orders for 97 737 MAX-10s.