First scheduled transatlantic flight for WestJet

WestJet marks a key milestone in its 18-year history Sunday night with the launch of its first scheduled transatlantic service between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland, with a brief stop in St. John's, Newfoundland. The flight arrives in Dublin tomorrow at 7 a.m. local time.

Announced in November 2013, WestJet offered introductory fares between Toronto and Dublin starting from $199 on all flights in both directions from June 15 to Oct. 5 - fares which sold out within the first 24 hours. Today, the service is heavily booked and well ahead of projections, recently prompting a three-week extension to Oct. 25.

WestJet offer scheduled service to more than 85 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through their regional airline, WestJet Encore, the airline offers more than 120 destinations in more than 20 countries.

Ryanair orders five Boeing 737 planes

Boeing and Ryanair have finalized an order for five additional Next-Generation 737s, valued at $452 million at list prices. “Today's announcement brings the total number of unfilled Next-Generation 737 orders for the Ireland-based ultra-low-cost carrier to 180 airplanes,” Boeing said in a press statement on Wednesday.

"The 737-800 is the perfect airplane for us as we continue to expand our fleet," said Michael O'Leary, director and CEO of Ryanair.

The airline announced last year an order for 175 of the airplanes. Ryanair is the world's largest 737-800 customer, with orders placed for 528 of the type to date.

The Boeing 737-800 is the best-selling version of the highly successful Next-Generation 737 family, Boeing said.

"We are honored to be chosen by Ryanair as they expand their fleet and look forward to continuing our partnership for decades to come,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Ryanair operates more than 1,600 flights daily from 68 bases connecting 186 destinations in 30 countries. Currently operating more than 300 737-800s, Ryanair took delivery of its first in 1999, and now operates the largest fleet of Boeing airplanes in Europe. With a team of more than 9,000 highly skilled professionals the airline is expected to fly more than 81.5 million passengers this year alone.

“Today's announcement brings the total number of 737s ordered to date to more than 11,000,” Boeing said. “Boeing currently has more than 3,700 unfilled orders for 737s.”