Air Transat head office once again ranked among North America's greenest

MONTREAL, March 7, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Transat is proud to announce that for the second year in a row, it has been named one of the greenest head offices in North America by Corporate Responsibility magazine. The annual recognition salutes remarkable actions by companies that accord the greatest importance to sustainability.

"We're very pleased to once again see our name on the list, as acknowledgement of our ongoing efforts to improve our environmental performance," says Jean-François Lemay, President, Air Transat. "We've been working tirelessly for a number of years now to implement measures on multiple fronts within the company."

While Air Transat gained fame as the very first company in Canada awarded LEED-EB^® Platinum certification, for its headquarters, many other initiatives contributed to its continued strong showing in the Corporate Responsibility study. Recent years have seen the installation of a solar wall on the west façade of the hangar next to head office, which has led to a 30% savings in annual natural gas consumption, along with a 250-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; the shift to LED lighting, which has enabled electricity savings of 1,150,000 KWh per year; installation of free electric-vehicle charging stations; introduction of recycling and composting programs ensuring that 72% of total waste is now diverted from landfill and treated responsibly; and donation of all leftover food from the company's restaurant to the organization Le Chaînon.

Air Transat was also the first North American carrier to complete the first stage of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA), the gold standard for airline environmental best practices.

Corporate Responsibility magazine is the leading North American publication devoted to the corporate responsibility profession, with a print circulation of approximately 20,000. It publishes its prestigious 100 Best Corporate Citizens list yearly.

About Air Transat

Air Transat is Canada's number one holiday travel airline in the Canadian and transatlantic markets. Every year, it carries some three million passengers to approximately 60 destinations in 26 countries. Based in Montreal, the company employs more than 2,500 people and operates a fleet of Boeing narrow-body and Airbus wide-body jets. In 2016, Air Transat was named Best North American Leisure Airline for the fifth consecutive year by Skytrax. In recent years, the carrier has earned multiple distinctions for its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. Since 2011, it has consistently been ranked number one in North America for energy efficiency, and in the Top 20 worldwide, by the Atmosfair Airline Index. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., a leading integrated international tourism company active in air transportation, accommodation, travel packaging and distribution. Transat was awarded Travelife Partner status in 2016 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development. The vacation travel companion par excellence, Transat celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2017.

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.