CALGARY — Plans for WestJet’s new ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) are surging ahead with the announcement that Bob Cummings has been appointed Executive Vice-President.

Cummings, who has been with WestJet since 2005 at the EVP level, will be accountable for all aspects of the yet-to-be-named carrier, including planning, branding, pricing, product development and operationalization. The ULCC is scheduled to launch in late 2017 or early 2018.

“Bob has been an integral part of the successful transformation of WestJet,” said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet President and CEO. “We are well positioned to continue our profitable growth and I look forward to Bob’s strategic thinking, leadership and execution capability coming to bear in launching this exciting new airline.

On his new appointment, Cummings said: “I am eager to bring our ULCC to market on behalf of Canadians looking for even lower fares. I firmly believe that we have the necessary capabilities to launch another successful and exciting chapter in WestJet’s history. Travellers can expect a very different approach from this new ULCC, yet one that will ultimately provide air travel accessibility to many more Canadians.”

WestJet also announced the appointment of Ed Sims as Executive Vice-President, Commercial, who’ll be responsible for the commercial function within WestJet including sales, marketing, product, network planning, revenue management, corporate development, airline partnerships and WestJet Vacations. He will join the airline on May 29.