WestJet to make new hangar home near Winnipeg airport

WestJet will become the first tenant in a new development near the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.

The Calgary-based airline plans to open a 73,110-square-foot aircraft maintenance hangar in West Lands, a sprawling site meant to boost business near the airport.

The hangar is expected to open at the end of 2028.

“Winnipeg is a very important market and city for WestJet,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet’s chief executive officer. “We always had one missing piece of the puzzle, which is that we don’t have a hangar in Winnipeg.”

The hangar will allow WestJet to store its planes in the Manitoba capital and perform maintenance on site.

“That makes it easier for us to grow our network here,” von Hoensbroech said.

Calling WestJet Winnipeg’s “home carrier,” he noted the airline flies to 35 destinations from the city and employs more than 500 people.

The hangar will be built by the Winnipeg Airports Authority, and WestJet plans to sign a 25-year lease in the coming weeks, von Hoensbroech said.

The agreement is dependent on approvals, including from Transport Canada. Von Hoensbroech didn’t provide details about the lease’s cost.

WestJet’s board must still green-light the project.

The hangar will fit at least two large, narrow body airplanes, such as a Boeing 737 MAX-10. It can handle four to six smaller planes, the CEO said.

“Not all airplanes need to be in the hangar all the time,” he said, adding the space could see up to 42 Winnipeg-based planes.

The hangar will also be used to maintain aircraft that aren’t based in the city.

Von Hoensbroech estimated WestJet will hire 50 aircraft maintenance engineers for the site.

The company is the first announced tenant of AirLink Business Park, a West Lands development the Winnipeg Airports Authority unveiled Wednesday.

AirLink Business Park could draw aerospace, aviation, manufacturing and logistics companies, said Nick Hays, WAA president. “It’s going to take time to fully build out the vision.”

The business park spans 221 acres — 137 acres with direct airside access, and another 84 that are airport adjacent.

It’ll be built in phases. The first phase is expected to finish at the end of 2027, Hays said, adding leadership is talking with more than 10 potential investors.

WestJet’s hangar will consume roughly nine acres. It’s being paid for through private investment, with a Canadian-based infrastructure investment fund and a Canadian construction group, Hays said.

The WAA announced a $17-million investment for West Lands in February. The federal and provincial governments promised $10 million and $5 million, respectively.

West Lands could hold up to 2.5 million sq. ft. of development.

“This is a really good day for Winnipeg’s sky economy,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said at a news conference Wednesday.

He’d pushed for water and sewer servicing to the area as city councillor for St. James. Four years ago, council slated $20 million for the infrastructure; the provincial government gave another $40 million.

Winnipeg later tabbed $13 million for servicing.

“We’re seeing all that pay off,” Gillingham said. “Never underestimate the potential of a pipe.”

The hangar project isn’t tied to a municipal incentive. However, it may be eligible for tax increment financing grants, city spokesman David Driedger confirmed.

MMI Group plans to oversee a business park in CentrePort South, the home of West Lands. WestJet’s hangar could boost interest in Sturgeon Business Park, said Martin McGarry, MMI Group’s chief executive.

“Economic development begets economic development,” McGarry said. “We’re betting on the future.”

He expects to begin selling lots late next year. There will be about 125 acres of “shovel-ready” inventory, McGarry said.

MMI Group submitted its development application for Sturgeon Business Park in June.

CentrePort South is the Winnipeg side of CentrePort, a trimodal port that also stretches into the Rural Municipality of Rosser. Rail, truck and air cargo move through the hub.

The WAA has asked Ottawa to allow 50-year ground lease extensions for itself and all national airport systems. It would help with West Lands, the WAA wrote in a 2026 federal budget consultation submission.

West Lands construction could add $1.9 billion to the provincial gross domestic product, and the development’s annual recurring GDP impact may hit $485.6 million, the submission says.

The airport authority expects West Lands to support 2,770 local jobs and create $24.4 million in annual municipal property tax revenue.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com