Alexis von Hoensbroech told a Calgary business audience Wednesday that WestJet is in the market for used planes in the wake of the ongoing situation at the embattled U.S. aircraft manufacturer.
"It’s slowing us down right now. We were supposed to receive eight aircraft this year ... right now we are down to four and my best guess is we’ll get probably two," he said. Von Hoensbroech said he is optimistic WestJet will be able to obtain"at least a share" of those planes. Von Hoensbroech added he recently personally met with Boeing executives and walked the firm's entire production line in Seattle to better understand what is going on with the company.
Von Hoensbroech also took the opportunity Wednesday to call for a full federal government review of the way airports and aviation infrastructure in Canada are funded. The WestJet CEO said Canada's"user pay" model for aviation infrastructure needs rethinking in light of ongoing public concerns about air travel affordability.