WestJet Cargo sees strong 2024 thanks to belly cargo business

WestJet’s cargo division marked a strong year in 2024, driven by a surge in belly cargo demand, new route expansions, digital upgrades and a key international partnership.

The airline reported a 60 per cent year-over-year increase in revenue from belly cargo operations.

“WestJet’s belly cargo business has emerged as a key driver of success for WestJet Cargo,” said Kirsten de Bruijn, WestJet executive vice-president, cargo. “We’ve seen strong performance on key routes like Narita-Calgary [and] Incheon-Calgary.”

Despite plans to phase out its four dedicated freighters, WestJet said it remains committed to growing its cargo capacity through passenger aircraft.

“As WestJet welcomes more aircraft to its passenger fleet, WestJet Cargo will grow alongside,” said Julius Mooney, WestJet director of commercial cargo. “Supported by a strong logistics and operations team, WestJet Cargo is poised to continue its successful growth in the competitive belly cargo sector.”

In March, the airline signed a Block Space Agreement with Virgin Atlantic on the Toronto-London route, expanding capacity from Canada’s East Coast to global destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

WestJet Cargo also revamped its website and digital platforms, integrating with cargo.one and cargoAI to improve booking, tracking and product offerings like Campus’Air for academic and research freight.

As WestJet Cargo pivots away from dedicated freighters, de Bruijn announced her departure from the company.

“Building out this important growth opportunity for WestJet was very rewarding,” she said. “Unfortunately, the freighter business came with timing delays and additional complexity that no longer made it the right commitment for WestJet.”