The hiring of a new cargo head from one of the world’s top cargo airlines to coincide with the arrival of a maiden freighter aircraft indicates WestJet’s commitment to becoming a big player in airfreight.
Kirsten de Bruijn was named executive vice president for cargo at WestJet last week, succeeding Charles Duncan, who will now focus on the company’s ultra-low-cost offerings as president of subsidiary Swoop and the soon-to-be purchased Sunwing Airlines. Jeff Harris was also promoted to vice president of cargo, a position he had held on an interim basis since last July.
De Bruijn will be in charge of expanding the airline’s dedicated cargo capabilities, organization, and service offerings as it seeks to capitalize on robust demand for air cargo in North America and the hyper-growth of e-commerce sales, which rely significantly on swift air delivery.
She spent 20 months as senior vice president of cargo sales and network planning for Qatar Airways, the world’s largest heavy freight airline by volume, excluding express package carriers like FedEx and UPS. Qatar has 32 big widebody freighters in its fleet. Prior to joining Qatar, de Bruijn worked for over five years as vice president, of cargo pricing and interline, at Emirates SkyCargo, the world’s second-largest non-parcel air carrier. She also worked as a manager for Martinair Cargo and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo for more than nine years.
Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet’s new CEO, has a freight history as well. He was the chief commercial officer at Lufthansa Cargo for nearly four years before joining Austrian Airlines.
WestJet Cargo welcomed the first of four 737-800 converted freighters to its Calgary, Alberta, headquarters on Friday, and revealed that the aircraft is being leased from BBAM Ltd. Partnership, which has a deal with Boeing (NYSE: BA) to convert 31 old aircraft into full cargo configuration. Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., a licensed Boeing partner in China, converted the first WestJet plane.
WestJet intends to begin freighter service with two aircraft this summer and have all four modified freighters flying cargo by the end of the year. According to officials, the freighters would concentrate on quick delivery and e-commerce consumers. They will also supplement freight going through the larger passenger network and be used for one-time charters when they are not flying their normal shuttle schedule.
Because they have narrow bodies that can be swiftly loaded and unloaded and are significantly more fuel-efficient than the previous aircraft, standard-size 737-800s are well suited for express delivery networks where the frequency is more essential than quantity.
WestJet is entering a Canadian air cargo market dominated by Cargojet (TSX: CJT) and expanded by Air Canada (OTCUS: ACDVF), but both carriers compete in a slightly distinct niche with larger freighters.
Cargo conversions necessitate substantial engineering and manufacturing capabilities to ensure structural integrity and safety that meets regulatory requirements. Covering windows, bracing the main cabin floor to support huge pallets, cutting in a wide entrance, building a hard barrier to protect the cockpit from shifting loads, and installing a mechanical cargo-handling system are among the tasks.
