WestJet has been granted a two-year extension to its licence to operate international flights between Canada and the Maldives through a codeshare.
In the decision issued 17JUL, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) approved WestJet's application to extend its temporary licence past the original date of 30JUN, 2027, through 30JUN, 2029.
The decision goes on to describe the licence as “extrabilateral” as Canada does not have an existing air transport agreement with the Maldives.
While no codeshare partner is named in the determination, WestJet does have an existing codeshare partnership with Virgin Atlantic, whose Heathrow-Malé service carries the WestJet flight code.
This means travellers can book a single WestJet-coded itinerary on one ticket, even though the carrier does not operate its own flights to the Maldives. Passengers can fly from YYZ to LHR on WestJet before connecting to Virgin Atlantic's service to Malé.
The CTA says it is “satisfied” that WestJet meets all licensing requirements, including holding a “valid Canadian aviation document” and the “prescribed liability insurance coverage.”
Any future request to extend the agreement beyond 30JUN, 2029, must be submitted to the CTA at least one month before the licence expires.
