Canada's WestJet Airlines restores routes as COVID-19 shots raise hope of summer travel

WestJet Airlines is restoring some suspended domestic routes from June, as executives hope that a pick-up in COVID-19 vaccinations can salvage summer travel, Canada's second-largest carrier said on Wednesday.

While Canada has trailed the United States on the pace of its vaccine rollout, supplies are expected to ramp up over the next two weeks, and Canada's top vaccine coordinator expects there should be enough to give every citizen a first dose by the end of June. "That's the type of encouraging news that's allowed us to make today's announcement," Andy Gibbons, WestJet's director, government relations, told reporters.