Report: WestJet Scores Approval for Sunwing Takeover
by Daniel McCarthy
STAR Points is Sunwing’s popular advisor loyalty program.
The fate of the pending WestJet takeover of Sunwing could be revealed as soon as today.
According to a report in The Globe and Mail, the Canadian federal government is set to approve the pending deal, which has already passed the public interest test. The deal is expected to be announced sometime on Friday.
The deal was originally announced almost exactly a year ago. When and if it is approved, it will see WestJet acquired both Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines, bringing together two of the Canadian travel industry’s biggest names.
Exact details of the deal, including the price that WestJet paid, have not yet been disclosed, but WestJet has revealed some details of the plans when it originally announced the deal in 2022.
WestJet is expected to create a new tour operating company under the WestJet Group, which will include both Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations. That company will be led by current Sunwing CEO Stephen Hunter and will be headquartered in Toronto, with The WestJet Group maintaining its head office in Calgary.
WestJet also promised in its announcement that Sunwing will operate under the WestJet Group of companies and that the deal will “increase capacity” for Sunwing, which will now be able to operate year-round in Canada instead of its previous seasonal schedules.
Sunwing and WestJet are both expected to be marketed as separate brands.
