CanJet Airlines (Halifax) will lay off forty-seven pilots and sixty-eight permanent and seasonal flight attendants by next month following an executive decision to end the carrier's unprofitable European services.
In a letter to employees seen by Canadian broadcaster CBC, airline president Steven Rowe said the charter specialist's European flights had fallen short of their "financial requirements" and that it would be decreasing the number of aircraft it would be staffing with crews. While last year, the carrier secured summer wet-lease contracts for two B737-800s with Poland's LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin), the weakening Euro has likely thrown cold water on any such renewal this year.
Rowe went on to state that CanJet would continue to focus on "profitable flying" and "additional opportunities". In March, Canadian ULCC start-up Canada Jetlines (AU, Toronto Pearson) mentioned CanJet among a list of possible suitors interested in either merging or acquiring a stake in the airline ahead of its planned mid-year launch date.
Currently, CanJet operates scheduled flights from Toronto Pearson to Cayo Coco, Holguin, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Santa Clara de Cuba, and Varadero as well as charter flights for Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) and in support of its CanJet Vacations affiliate. However, this past winter, CanJet was forced to cancel 40% of its planned flights while laying off twenty-one pilots after it overestimated sales for its first winter season offering vacation packages itself.
