Westjet's return brings direct flights between P.E.I. and 3 Canadian cities this summer

Westjet has announced its return to the P.E.I. market, with the airline saying it will offer direct flights between Charlottetown andthree Canadian cities this summer: Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton.

The flights to and from Toronto's Pearson Airport will begin May 17 and will operate every Monday, Friday and Saturday until Oct. 17.

The airline announced on Tuesday it will also offer six weekly non-stop Alberta flights four to Calgary and two to Edmonton. Calgary flights start May 18, while Edmonton resumes on June 12.

WestJetsaid in July 2022 that it would not offer any winter flights to and from Charlottetown that winter, and then did not resume the Toronto flights for the summer season either. The airline's discount operator Swoop did fly from Charlottetown to Toronto and Hamilton.

The news comes following a record year for passenger travel at Charlottetown Airport, and 2024 is shaping up to be another strong year.

Porter is continuing its direct flights to Ottawa throughout the winter, Lynx Air recently announced it would be launching three flights per week between Toronto and Calgary on May 30, and Flair will be increasing capacity on both its Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo routes this summer.

Last summer, Air Canada offeredfiveflights per day three to Toronto and two to Montreal and Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO Doug Newson said he expects that to continue this summer.