Air Canada's 2016 Corporate Sustainability Report Affirms Commitment to Responsible Business Practices

Report details programs to promote sustainability internally and in communities

MONTREAL, Oct. 2, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today released the 2016 edition of Citizens of the world, the airline's sixth corporate sustainability report. The document details Air Canada's performance during the year in four key areas of sustainability: safety, the environment, employee well-being, and the company's community involvement.

"As a global company, we are keenly aware of the inter-relationships all people have and the onus this puts on us to operate our company in a sustainable and responsible way. All 30,000 employees of Air Canada are deeply engaged in sustainability issues every day, by prioritizing safety, mitigating our environmental impacts, supporting our colleagues and contributing to local communities," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada.

"By publishing each year Citizens of the world, our award-winning sustainability report, we are taking accountability for our actions and I am very proud our efforts have been recognized for 2016. The Reputation Institute ? the world's leading reputation-based research advisory firm ?listed Air Canada among the top 100 companies in the world for CSR reputation, the only Canadian company and one of two passenger airlines on the list."

Highlights of Air Canada's 2016 CSR activities include:

• A reduced incidence of Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) by 5.7 per cent, measured by LTIs per 100 full time equivalent employees for Air Canada mainline
• A fuel efficiency improvement of 4.3 per cent compared to 2015, with fuel efficiency projects combined saving over 13,800 tonnes of fuel or approximately 44,400 tonnes of CO2e (equivalent). Between 1990 and 2016, Air Canada has now improved fleet fuel efficiency by 40 per cent.
• Completed negotiations with the last of the company's main Canadian union groups, resulting in labour stability unprecedented for Air Canada and almost unheard of in the airline industry. Air Canada now has ratified, long-term contracts with union groups representing the majority of its 25,000 Canadian-based unionized employees.
• The Air Canada Foundation donated money and in-kind goods and services, including aircraft for Dreams Take Flight, totaling approximately $4.5 million.?

Air Canada's 2016 corporate sustainability report is available at www.aircanada.com/csr. It was prepared in accordance with principles of the Global Reporting Initiative, an internationally recognized standard for sustainability reporting. To further validate the report, Air Canada has taken the extra step of retaining a third-party auditor to assure select indicators and independently verify the company's disclosure. The report is framed around the findings of an extensive stakeholder survey to identify areas of most concern with respect to sustainability.  It also contains a discussion of governance practices at Air Canada and tables of data quantifying the results of our sustainability activities.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 57 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2017 Best Airline in North America.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada