Canada’s WestJet places long-term order for 67 Boeing planes

By Allison Lampert and Nathan Gomes

(Reuters) -Low-cost carrier WestJet said on Wednesday it made its largest-ever order with U.S. planemaker Boeing, striking a deal for 67 jets to be delivered through 2034 as part of the Canadian airline’s growth strategy.

The order for 60 737-10 MAX narrowbodies and seven 787-9 Dreamliner widebody jets comes as the privately-held carrier plans to double capacity by the mid-2030s.

It is the latest order for Boeing’s larger MAX 10, whose certification is not expected by the Federal Aviation Administration until 2026. Boeing previously said it expected to finish certification for the MAX 10 and smaller MAX 7 by the end of this year.

Boeing is improving production of its strongest-selling aircraft after output slumped in 2024 due to a mid-air door panel blow-out on a MAX plane. Boeing delivered WestJet’s last two planes ahead of the planemaker’s most recent schedule, the carrier’s CEO said.

“They actually, they have started to accelerate some of the deliveries,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of Calgary-based WestJet. “They’re still late, but they are now coming in faster than they indicated sometime before, which just shows us that they’re really getting their act together.”

Canadian Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that the deal would generate economic benefits for both Canada and the United States. The two countries are embroiled in a trade dispute.

“This agreement between WestJet and Boeing reflects a pragmatic approach to doing business, creating new opportunities, economic benefits, and long-term jobs on both sides of the border,” Freeland said.

Canada’s economy contracted in the second quarter much more than anticipated on an annualized basis, as U.S. tariffs squeezed exports. The country’s merchandise trade numbers for July will be announced on Thursday.

Boeing has won a string of major orders in recent months with many countries negotiating trade deals with the Trump administration.

WestJet already operates an almost all-Boeing fleet.

“We don’t order airplanes for political reasons, we order them for business reasons,” von Hoensbroech said.

The carrier said it also secured options for an additional 25 737-10 MAX and four Dreamliners. The order will double the carrier’s 787 fleet and raises its overall order book to 123 aircraft and 40 options.

WestJet currently operates 193 passenger aircraft.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal, Nathan Gomes and Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Nia Williams)