The carrier will reinstate its Glasgow-Halifax route from 3 May 2022 along with a new direct service to Toronto from 21 May next year.

WestJet’s announcement heralds its return to Glasgow for the first time since March last year. WestJet has been operating flights to Halifax since May 2015 and plans to operate four flights a week to the Nova Scotia capital. The Toronto route will operate at the same frequency.

Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports, which owns Glasgow airport, said: “As well as being the first North American carrier to confirm a return to Glasgow with the resumption of the Halifax route, our long-time airline partner WestJet has also chosen to strengthen its partnership with us further by expanding operations in Scotland to now include Toronto.

“This decision will be well received by the hundreds of thousands of passengers we welcome each year who have sorely missed the connectivity between our two countries during the last 16 months.” 

In addition, WestJet will debut in Edinburgh next year, with three flights a week to Toronto. The service is due to begin on June 2 2022, with departures on Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays.

All routes will be operated by narrow body Boeing 737 Max aircraft. WestJet’s announcement comes a day after Canada was placed on the Scottish government’s green list.