WestJet's chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech said the company is "seeing the benefits" of a strategy review carried out in 2022.
In what the carrier described as a "state of the airline address", von Hoensbroech told the Calgary Chamber of Commerce that the plan is "ambitious, laser-focused on our strengths and brings back more of what Canadians love about WestJet" and would "strengthen our airline, ensure our long-term profitability and set us apart from our competitors."
The chief executive said WestJet had partnered with the Alberta state government to double capacity from Calgary to 20 million seats a year by the end of the decade.
The idea, the carrier said earlier, is to bolster its presence in western Canada, including by opening 20 new routes to and from the region and adding three destinations in the US.
"In advancing its growth plan, WestJet has been working closely with communities and regions across the West to prioritise the flights they need to build their economies," von Hoensbroech said, going to explain that the second part of the plan entails expanding leisure flight options across Canada and building the airline's network in the east of the country.
"WestJet's position as Eastern Canada's leisure airline will be further strengthened once the acquisition of Sunwing is concluded," the chief executive said, referring to WestJet's attempt to acquire Sunwing, a Canadian budget carrier.
The airline would maintain the Boeing 737 range as the "backbone" of its fleet and would add the 737-10, which it said "has one of the lowest costs per seat among mid-range aircraft and lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions".
Chief exec von Hoensbroech said the carrier's IT systems would be upgraded to include more "self-serve tools" for passengers, along with back-end improvements to "ensure WestJet employees have the information and tools to keep the company's operations moving".
The overall effect would be "greater schedule resilience that will isolate disruptions and allow for faster recovery during operational challenges of all types", the chamber of commerce was told.