A CAPA Aviation News Brief on April 14 revealed that WestJet has cancelled its widely promoted launch of four-weekly Toronto–Medellín flights scheduled for late April 2026. The carrier cited fleet-planning constraints and shifting demand forecasts after a review of long-haul performance. The decision trims WestJet’s Latin American footprint just weeks before inaugural service, leaving Air Transat’s two-weekly triangular Toronto–Cartagena–Medellín flight as the sole nonstop option between Canada and Colombia. Business travellers targeting Medellín’s tech and fintech sectors must now rely on connections via Bogotá, Panama City or U.S. hubs, adding time and potential visa complications. Corporate travel managers should revisit route budgets and duty-of-care assessments. Alternate itineraries may require U.S. transit, triggering electronic travel authorisation (ESTA) costs and potential interview backlogs for staff from visa-required countries. Meanwhile, travel-trade observers note the cancellation highlights the fragile economics of secondary long-haul routes out of Toronto Pearson, where slot scarcity, rising fuel prices and aircraft utilisation pressures complicate new launches. WestJet is expected to redeploy the freed capacity to its core North Atlantic summer network, including added frequencies to Glasgow and Cardiff. Stakeholders in Colombia’s investment promotion agencies expressed disappointment but said talks are underway to entice another Canadian carrier, possibly Porter Airlines, to fill the gap post-2027 when additional Embraer E195-E2 jets arrive.
Source: CAPA Centre for Aviation
