CALGARY — Hamilton will be seeing a lot more of WestJet next year – 40% more exactly. The airline has announced that it will be increasing capacity out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport by 40% in 2017 with the return of nonstop service to Edmonton and Halifax, as well as a new route to Winnipeg.

Four-time weekly service to Edmonton returns Jan. 16 until Oct. 28, while daily service to Halifax returns Jan. 16 until Oct. 28. Three-time weekly service to Winnipeg starts Jan. 17 and ends on Oct. 26.

By January, WestJet will offer 27 weekly departures to seven nonstop destinations out of Hamilton to meet increasing guest demand.

“We are pleased to hear that WestJet will be expanding its domestic service offerings from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport starting in 2017,” said Vijay Bathija, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, President & CEO. “These services will provide more options for passengers in Hamilton and the surrounding area seeking to experience the ease and convenience of flying from Hamilton International to a number of popular Canadian destinations.”

From Halifax Stanfield International this winter, the airline will offer 19 daily flights on 15 routes. Year-over-year in January, the airline will have added more than 15% additional capacity out of Halifax.

“It’s great to see WestJet growing in our region once again following their successful expansion of air service last year. Providing our passengers with additional travel options remains one of our top priorities and we look forward to WestJet continuing to play a crucial role in achieving our objective,” said Joyce Carter, Halifax International Airport Authority President and CEO.

With the addition of the nonstop Winnipeg-Hamilton route, WestJet will offer 25 daily flights on 20 nonstop routes from Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

In addition, WestJet is now Edmonton International Airport’s largest air carrier with almost 75% more seats than the next largest carrier. Overall, passengers in Edmonton have a total of 55 daily departures to 28 different destinations to choose from.

All flights will be operated on Boeing 737NG aircraft. For more information go to westjet.com/hamilton.