CALGARY — WestJet’s newest service to Montreal took flight with the departure of flight 3451 from Halifax yesterday. The new route operates twice daily on WestJet Encore using its fleet of Canadian-made Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft.

“WestJet sees a bright travel future for both the Quebec and Nova Scotia markets as we add to our growing presence in Eastern Canada,” said Brian Znotins, WestJet Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “We are proud to connect these two historic Canadian cities with our signature low fares and caring service. This route is an excellent addition to our growing WestJet Encore network, whether guests are travelling for business, hitting the world-famous restaurant scene of Montreal, or visiting the great outdoor attractions of Halifax.”

By October WestJet will be serving a total of 12 destinations out of Montréal, representing a 48% increase in the number of seats, with a total of 181 weekly flights.

WestJet now operates 157 weekly departures from Halifax to 19 non-stop destinations: 12 domestic and seven international and transborder routes.

Last month WestJet announced a significant investment in Quebec’s travel and tourism market with increased service and new routes to and from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The Montreal-Halifax route is the first of three new routes to launch out of Montreal this year. Overall, the airline is adding 105 more flights per week in the province, a capacity increase of 74%.