WestJet’s partnership with Hope Air is rooted in a shared belief that access to healthcare should never depend on geography or financial circumstances. As WestJet celebrates 30 years of connecting Canadians, we are proud to recognize the airline’s longstanding role in helping ensure that connection includes access to life-changing medical care.

Since first supporting Hope Air in 1997, when the charity was known as Mission Air and when WestJet was in its very early days of operation, WestJet has played a foundational role in helping patients travel to the medical care they need. The first flight WestJet provided to Mission Air was for 2-year-old Raelyn from Edmonton to Vancouver. That early contribution of 96 return-trip passes marked the beginning of a partnership that continues to change lives across Canada.

Over the past two decades of collaboration, WestJet and Hope Air have partnered to deliver more than 30,000 travel arrangements for 10,000 patients and their caregivers, representing the largest in-kind flight contribution from any airline partner. This enduring support has helped patients reach essential medical care without the added burden of travel costs or uncertainty.

Today, WestJet continues to deepen its commitment through Haul for Hope, Hope Air’s national fundraising event that brings together airport communities, airlines, and corporate teams in support of patients in financial need. As the Presenting Sponsor for Western Canada, WestJet leads Haul for Hope events in Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, and Vancouver, helping transform the campaign into a powerful national movement. What began as a two-city pilot has grown into a six-city initiative that symbolizes the immense challenges patients face, and the collective strength required to meet them.

As demand for Hope Air’s services continues to rise, with 38,392 travel arrangements provided in 2025 and further growth projected, WestJet’s sustained support ensures that thousands of Canadians can continue to reach essential care they otherwise could not access. One third of the flights Hope Air provided in 2025 involved WestJet as a carrier. Beyond the gift of flight, WestJet’s commitment reflects a culture of compassion, dignity, and care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

As Hope Air approaches its 40th anniversary in 2026, we are proud to recognize WestJet as a Hope Air Patron. This honour reflects WestJet’s extraordinary leadership, long-standing generosity, and unwavering dedication to ensuring that no Canadian is left behind when it comes to accessing healthcare.

Together, we continue working toward a future where distance and cost never determine a patient’s access to care.