WestJet cancels 20 per cent of February flights as Omicron variant's spread creates staffing shortage

WestJet has made significant cuts to its February flight schedule in response to staffing shortages and pandemic-related barriers on air travel.

The Calgary-based airline says the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has led to a staffing shortage and 20 per cent of its February flights have been "consolidated."

"As we continue to navigate the unpredictability of the Omicron variant on our staffing levels along with the ongoing barriers to international travel, we are making every effort to proactively manage our schedule in order to minimize disruption to our guests’ travel plans," said Harry Taylor, interim president and CEO of WestJet Group, in a statement. "To our guests impacted by these additional consolidations, we sincerely apologize for the disruption and appreciate your continued understanding and patience."

WestJet says passengers affected by the flight schedule change will be notified of their new itinerary in the coming days. The airline's scheduled change refund policy remains in effect.

During the consolidation announcement, Taylor called on the federal government to remove "cumbersome travel rules that are unnecessarily impacting Canadians and prolonging the recovery of the travel and tourism sector."

"Canada remains one of the only countries in the world requiring multiple molecular tests for fully-vaccinated travellers -- these testing resources should be redeployed to our communities."

In December, WestJet announced it had cancelled 15 per cent of its January flights.