Ultra-Low-Cost Airline Swoop to Add 737 MAX Fleet

On Wednesday, one of Canada’s ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC), Swoop announced that it will be adding six new Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft to its fleet. The move will increase the carrier’s fleet from 10 to 16 aircraft.

The 737 orders will help the airline accommodate the significant increase in passenger demand on the current routes served. 

Owned by parent company WestJet, Swoop operates out of Calgary and was first introduced on Sept. 27, 2017. Based in Calgary, the airline was named after WestJet’s desire to “swoop” into the Canadian market with a new business model. 

Operating its first flight on June 20, 2018, the airline has found great success in the markets served, so much so, the airline also announced on Tuesday a significant expansion of 14 new non-stop routes in its domestic network. 

“We saw demand for travel return in a very meaningful way over the holidays, signaling that Canadians are ready to reunite with family and friends,” stated Bert van der Stege, Head of Commercial & Finance, Swoop in a press release. “The acquisition of six new aircraft in response to anticipated demand will ensure Swoop reconnects more Canadians this summer while accelerating Canada’s economic recovery.”

Swoop plans to increase its presence in Atlantic Canada by adding non-stop flights to Newfoundland. When compared to pre-pandemic levels, service across the region will increase capacity by 273 percent.

To prepare for Canada’s busy summer season, the ULCC has also announced the addition of six new routes in Ontario and the Prairies. 

Despite the difficult year of travel restrictions due to the pandemic, the airline continued to see strong demand on its markets. Swoop carried upwards of one million passengers in 2021, and continued to prove reliable with a flight completion rate of 99.4 percent and on-time arrival of 78 percent.

The additional aircraft in its fleet and the route expansion will continue fostering the growth of the airline, as the announcement brings its total domestic routes served to 37. 

Route Expansion

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Deer Lake – Hamilton, 2x weekly (May 21) 
• St. John’s – Hamilton, 5x weekly (June 13) 
• Deer Lake – Toronto, 2x weekly (June 20)

New Brunswick

• Moncton – Hamilton – 4x weekly (May 9) 
• Saint John – Toronto – 4x weekly (May 12) 
• Moncton – Edmonton – 2x weekly (May 9)

Prince Edward Island

• Charlottetown – Hamilton – 4x weekly (May 1) 
• Charlottetown – Toronto – 3x weekly (May 2) 
• Charlottetown – Edmonton – 2x weekly (May 1)

Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Halifax – Edmonton – 5x weekly (May 1) 
• Halifax – Ottawa – Daily (June 19)

Ontario

• Ottawa – Winnipeg – 4x weekly (June 19) 
• Winnipeg – Toronto – Daily (June 20)

Saskatchewan

• Saskatoon – Winnipeg – 2x weekly (June 14) 
• Saskatoon – Toronto – 2x weekly (June 22) 
• Regina – Winnipeg – 2x weekly (June 16) 
• Regina – Toronto – 2x weekly (June 22)

Swoop’s route network (Photo: Swoop)

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Chase Hagl

Chase Hagl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. His love and passion for Aviation landed him in Orem, Utah where he obtained a B.S. in Aviation Management with a minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University. Chase currently works as a flight attendant in Charleston, SC and is also the primary Inflight ASAP ERC representative for startup airline, Breeze Airways. His experience in the aviation industry spans back four years, working in areas including agriculture application, customer service, maintenance, and flight ops. In his free time, Chase enjoys road biking, astronomy, and flying.

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