WestJet to wet lease 757-200 for added Hawaii capacity

WestJet said Tuesday it will wet lease a Boeing 757-200 from North American Airlines to be used on Calgary-Honolulu-Maui and Edmonton-Maui routings from Feb. 12-April 30, 2011, subject to Canadian government approval. NAA will operate the aircraft on behalf of WS, providing pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel. WS operates an all 737NG fleet comprising 91 aircraft.

"This temporary lease will allow WestJet to provide additional capacity," EVP-Strategy and Planning Hugh Dunleavy said. "With this leased aircraft, we'll be able to seat 193 guests, an increase from using our own 737-700s … While the Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft is ideal for WestJet, there are select situations where a longer-range aircraft is more ideally suited."