The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada's two major airlines have revealed the toll that soaring jet fuel prices have taken this year, with WestJet paying $1-billion in added costs while Air Canada said its fuel bill has risen by $1.5-billion for the first nine months of 2026. The Globe's Eric Atkins writes that WestJet's fuel costs in 2026 are expected to double from last year to $3.2-billion, sending the Calgary-based airline to a loss in 2026, said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet's chief executive officer. "Right now we are literally paying double what we paid a year ago," he told The Globe. Montreal-based Air Canada said in its third-quarter results on Thursday its fuel expenses were $2.1-billion, an increase of $906-million from the same period in 2025. For the first nine months of the year, Air Canada's fuel bill was more than $5-billion. The airline's profit for the three months ending on Sept. 30 fell to $139-million from $264-million a year ago, even as revenue rose by 21 per cent to $7-billion. John Di Bert, Air Canada's chief financial officer, told analysts on a conference call that fuel prices will remain high, owing to the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, for the "foreseeable future."
© 2026 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.