The Incredibles: the story of WestJet Cargo

When The STAT Trade Times met Kirsten de Bruijn for an interview in late September 2022 on the sideline of the IATA World Cargo Symposium in London, de Bruijn was just five months into her new role as the executive vice president for cargo at the Canadian passenger airline WestJet. She joined the WesJet team at the Calgary headquarters and was tasked with the responsibility of building a cargo airline within WestJet. By the time she joined, four Boeing B737-800 aircraft were being converted into freighters and WestJet was waiting for Transport Canada's approval and official certification of its four 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF).

“The brief was very simple. We want to build WestJet’s dedicated cargo capabilities and service offerings, while growing a high-performing cargo organisation capable of succeeding within a rapidly evolving market in Canada, which is underserved with cargo capacity. Basically make it happen,” she said at the London interview.

However, the passenger to freighter conversion programme by Boeing and the official certification by Transport Canada were painfully long. By the time the aircraft was certified in late March 2023, something that de Bruijn described as a big surprise because the permission was granted late on a Friday night after a long wait when no one really expected, the air cargo markets had turned upside down with over capacity, falling freight rates and declining yields. “Suddenly it became a reality,” she told The STAT Trade Times in an interview just a week before the launch of the commercial operation of the first WestJet Cargo freighter on 20 April 2023.

By then de Bruijn had already built her core team that includes cargo professionals with substantial years of experience working with large cargo organisations around the world. Many of her core team members were moving to Canada for the first time. Most of them, including de Bruijn, had worked in larger organizations that provided them the luxury of working within a specific brief and an access to an expansive support system. But the WestJet Cargo team did not see this as a major hurdle to what they were set out to do and achieve.

“I must say that I have learnt more in the last 10 months than I have had in the last five years. It has been a great journey. I have built a team around me that knows better than me. We are getting there,” de Bruijn told The STAT Trade Times in April this year.

Show & Shine
Four months after the first commercial freighter flight from Calgary to Toronto and as the WestJet Cargo team ramped up operations in phases to familiarize themselves with the freighters, the team was ready for WestJet’s traditional “show & shine” event in August this year to demonstrate their love for the new equipment – the B-737-800BCF – along with other WestJetters, their families, customers, partners and friends. The STAT Trade Times was invited to the “show & shine” event held at the WestJet hangar in Calgary International Airport. The event offered a unique opportunity for guests to see the freighter and take a walk inside its main-deck.

Building step by step
About setting up and launch of WestJet Cargo Alexis von Hoensbroech, who took charge as the chief executive of WestJet in February 2022, said that the decision was made before he joined. However, he firmly asserted the reasons for the launch. “There were a number of considerations. The strong cargo environment in pandemic certainly played a role. But Canada has a significant demand for domestic and continental cargo. Same is also true for the US. WestJet has been very successful in passenger aviation and it was thought that the same could be done for cargo too. And B737-800BCF fit very nicely into our operations.

von Hoensbroech said that timing is always an important factor in any business. “We were a bit unlucky because of the delays in getting the freighter and the certification. By the time we got the permission, market had collapsed. We started in the downturn. As a new player it makes it very difficult. It is difficult to attract customers when there is over capacity. That is life and we did everything we could. We have a super competent team. We are here for a long run. Every business it is about building step by step.”

von Hoensbroech understands the cargo business and freighter operations more than anybody else in WestJet as he was once the chief commercial officer with Lufthansa Cargo. Therefore, he argues that there is a strong synergy between freighter and bellies.

“Given her (Kirsten de Bruijn) expertise and the team that she has built up, I have lots of trust in what she and her team are doing.”
Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO, WestJet

“That is a competitive advantage for mixed carriers. There is a strong synergy between freighters and bellies.. Have seen this in my previous experience. It is extremely valuable to connect freight from bellies to freighters and vice versa. It is unfortunate to start in the down-turn. I have been in this business long enough to know that you have to look at the entire cycle.”

While von Hoensbroech loves cargo and passionate about it he lets de Bruijn run the business completely independent. “Given her expertise and the team that she has built up, I have lots of trust in what she and her team are doing.”

The core team
WestJet Cargo’s core team includes Bharat Bhatia who heads cargo operations. Julius Mooney heads cargo commercial. Krista Beatty and Priyanka Reddy are responsible for the route profitability and commercial continuity of the WestJet Cargo freighter operation. Sabir Ebrahim is the manager for cargo pricing and systems. Hao Cai is responsible for cargo network planning and revenue management and Nawal Mir, perhaps the youngest in the core team is the product manager.

What is unique about de Bruijn and her team is their steadfast commitment and dedication to make something successful. Except for Beatty, all others have moved to Canada for the first time. In fact Beatty is the best resource on everything WestJet, Calgary and Canada for the rest of the cargo team. The cargo team calls her the “encyclopedia of WestJet”. A repertoire of WestJet Culture.

Beatty joined WestJet in 2006 as a flight attendant and worked as a cabin crew for 7 years. She then moved to the role of executive assistant to the chief operating officer, after several years managing WestJet events. She was involved in supporting the entire WestJet executive office. That gave her opportunity to onboard de Bruijn when she joined WestJet as head of cargo in May 2022. “I developed deep knowledge of the business. I understand a lot about regulatory and strategic business decisions. Covid was a dark period for the world but it was a good opportunity for my professional growth,” Beatty told The STAT Trade Times.

Beatty recollected a conversation with de Bruijn. “Are you good with numbers?” she was asked. “If yes, I have a job for you,” de Bruijn added. “I think she saw something in me and it would be unwise to say no to her,” said Beatty.

Each one in the core team of Westjet Cargo has a unique story and how they joined de Bruijn’s team. It was important for de Bruijn to get her core team right. She was quick to activate her network as soon as she joined WestJet in Calgary. In fact Bhatia, Reddy, Cai, Mooney and Mir were already planning to immigrate into Canada even before the offer from WestJet. In fact de Bruijn and Bhatia were working in the United Arab Emirates at the same time but they did not know each other.

“Never had a management team like this. This job is the most difficult and challenging. The team agrees with me. I never knew the things that we had to know but we have a team that will find out what we should know and do. We have a lot to learn."
Kirsten de Bruijn, Head of WestJet Cargo

Bhatia already had a permanent residence for Canada. He was de Bruijn’s first top recruit. “Starting an airline and putting departments together with K (Kirsten de Bruijn is called K in the office) we are learning a lot. For me, this has been the most exciting part. Never did I ever dream of opportunity like this,” said Bhatia. “She knows when to let you go, has a very good sense of the pulse. When to ask you what question and she doesn’t forget anything,” he added.

Interestingly, Ebrahim, Reddy, Cai and Mir worked at Qatar Airways Cargo while de Bruijn was there as the senior vice president of cargo sales and network planning. Mooney worked with de Bruijn at Emirates SkyCargo. A lot of things fell in place for de Bruijn to get her the management team.

“Never had a management team like this. This job is the most difficult and challenging. The team agrees with me. I never knew the things that we had to know but we have a team that will find out what we should know and do. We have a lot to learn,” said de Bruijn.

While Sabir Ebrahim is the most cheerful person in the team doing everything with a smile, Nawal Mir is the go to person. Give her a task – big or small – consider it is done. “It’s not WestJet Cargo business but it is our business,” that is driving force for Reddy, who along with Beatty form the Full Freighter Management (FFM) team. FFM is a key stakeholder within the cargo organization and is the vital link between commercial, operations and network planning.

Mooney joined the team in March this year from Emirates SkyCargo. If operations is the big part of the service delivery and is most intertwined with all other departments, then commercial department has the most stakeholders. That is where Mooney plays a critical role to the commercial success of WestJet Cargo. He has the most number of stakeholders and Mooney is on a mission to grow WestJet Cargo’s partners.

Growth through partnerships
WestJet Cargo is born out of a great partnership. GTA dnata provides cargo handling for the freighters and passenger flights in the 3 hubs of WestJet Cargo. Partnerships are at the centre of WestJet Cargo's growth strategy. Since the “show & shine” event at Calgary this summer the cargo carrier has many good things to be proud of.

Recent developments in WestJet's winter schedule expansion include the launch of new destinations. As part of its ongoing expansion programme, WestJet Cargo has entered into a strategic agreement with Flexport, providing new air freight solutions for Canadian exports to Asia. Under this unique arrangement, WestJet Cargo will transport Canadian cargo to O'Hare International Airport. From there, Flexport operates specialized freighters connecting the US to major air freight hubs in Asia, such as Incheon International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Hong Kong International Airport.

Furthermore, WestJet Cargo has forged a strategic partnership with Awesome Cargo, a rising star in the Mexican air freight market. This groundbreaking collaboration links North America and Awesome Cargo's hub at Felipe Ángeles International Airport.

As part of its continuous expansion, WestJet Cargo initiated a new cargo route to Havana, Cuba, in September 2023. This expansion marks WestJet Cargo's inaugural venture into the capital of Cuba, signifying further diversification and growth for the airline.

Currently, WestJet Cargo operates four Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft, solidifying the airline's commitment to efficient cargo services across North America, South America, and Europe. Notably, the inclusion of European operations underscores WestJet Cargo's global reach, establishing it as a key player in the international cargo logistics landscape.

Incredible influencers
It is extremely tough to create something new when headwinds are so strong you need to challenge the status quo. de Bruijn is able to do that within WestJet because she is extremely disciplined and tough; a trait that her top cargo team is very well aware of and they are on board with her. “Watching her work hard makes us want to work harder,” said Mir capturing the team’s sentiment.

One of the decisions that de Bruijn made very quickly is to relocate her office from the fifth floor of the WestJet headquarters, known as the executive floor, to the floor below where her entire cargo team sits.

“It is like her personal mission to make this happen. She is always very proud of the team she has created,” said Bhatia. “For us it is not just a job, we are here to make this happen and successful,” Reddy said. “We do not have working hours; it is about getting things done,” Mooney added.

Long time Westjetter Beatty has been so quick to understand the importance of cargo to an airline’s business. “Integrating cargo freighters into a passenger airline is not easy, it has not been here. Cargo is so volatile. We are so agile and we move so quickly. That is not how the passenger department does the business. They really follow the plan. We follow the money, because we can. If we operate this flight and if it costs us money, the question is do we have the potential to gain in the long run?

The cargo team in every airline needs to be treated like a family member and not as an extended cousin. We are important branch of the business. They need us to be profitable. When we look good, they look good. And we call that the WestJet way,” says Beatty.

It is safe to say that anyone who loves cargo would love to be part of this team.