Air Transat
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| Founded | 1987 | |||
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| Focus cities | ||||
| Fleet size | 22[1][2] | |||
| Destinations | 60 | |||
| Parent company | Transat A.T. Inc. | |||
| Headquarters | Montréal-Trudeau Int'l Airport Montreal, Quebec |
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| Key people | Allen Graham (Chairman & CEO) Jean-Marc Eustache (co-founder) | |||
| Website | http://www.airtransat.com | |||
Air Transat is a Canadian intercontinental airline based in Saint-Laurent, Quebec,[3] operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations[4] in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the Caribbean, Mexico, USA and Central America, though the airline operates many year-round flights to Europe from their Toronto and Montreal hubs. Its main Canadian gateways are Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. The airline also has operations at Calgary International Airport, Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport[5] and others.
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History [edit]
Air Transat made its inaugural flight on November 14, 1987, travelling from Montreal to Acapulco. Six years later, Air Transat assumed defunct Nationair's maintenance base and aircraft. Today, the company books over 3.5 million passengers a year. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transat A.T. Inc. Today Air Transat is one of Canada's largest airlines, after Air Canada and WestJet. Air Transat has 2,100 (2010) employees.[6] On February 13, 2011, Air Transat Flight TS163 operated with their first all female flight crew from Cancun to Vancouver. The airline has won many awards, the most recent being the 2012 Skytrax World's Best Leisure Airline Award.[7]
Incidents [edit]
- On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330-243, en route from Toronto to Lisbon with 306 crew and passengers, made an emergency landing in the Azores without engine power due to fuel starvation over the Atlantic Ocean.[8] The aircraft safely landed at Lajes Air Base, on the island of Terceira. The aircraft was evacuated in 90 seconds. All 306 passengers on board survived. An investigation revealed that the cause of the accident was a fuel leak in the number two engine which was caused by an incorrect part installed in the hydraulics system by Air Transat maintenance staff. The part did not maintain adequate clearance between the hydraulic lines and the fuel line, allowing vibration in the hydraulic lines to degrade the fuel line and cause the leak. The aircraft involved in the incident was repaired and remains in service with Air Transat. The incident went down in history as the longest non-powered flight and landing by a commercial airliner.
- On March 6, 2005, Air Transat Flight 961, an Airbus A310-308, en route from Cuba to Quebec City with nine crew and 261 passengers on board, experienced a structural failure in which the rudder detached in flight. The crew returned to Varadero, Cuba, where they made a safe landing. It has been established that no unusual rudder inputs had been used by the crew during the flight, they were not manipulating the rudder when it failed and there was no obvious fault in the rudder or yaw-damper system.[9] The investigation that followed determined that the manufacturer's inspection procedure for the composite rudder was not adequate.[10] Inspection procedures for composite structures on airliners were changed because of this incident.
Services [edit]
Air Transat specializes in charter flights from Canadian cities to vacation destinations, mainly in the south during the winter months and in Europe during the summer. Unlike other airlines Air Transat has a very restrictive refund or exchange policy. No tickets can be exchanged or refunded within 45 days prior to departure.
[edit]
Certain flights are operated by CanJet.
Fleet [edit]
The Air Transat fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 31, 2012):[1][2]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus A310-300 | 10 | 20 12 |
229 238 |
249 250 |
Exit from service 2014-2025 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 8 | 21 12 |
321 333 |
342 345 |
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| Airbus A330-300 | 4 | 21 12 |
321 334 |
342 346 |
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| Total | 22 | ||||
The A310s will gradually leave the fleet. As of December 31, 2012, the Air Transat average fleet age is 16.5 years.[2] An A330 acquired on November 20, 2011 is painted in a revised new livery.
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Air Transat fleet - Official site". Airtransat.ca. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ a b c "Air Transat fleet". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
- ^ "Contact Us." Air Transat. Retrieved on May 20, 2009. "Postal address: Air Transat 5959 Côte-Vertu Blvd. Montreal, Quebec H4S 2E6 Canada"
- ^ "Air Transat | Profile". Airtransat.ca. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 67.
- ^ "Backgrounders". Transat.com. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ airtransat.ca - Air Transat Named World’s Best Leisure Airline
- ^ A330 'glider' drama facts revealed. Flight International, 26 Oct 2004. Retrieved 5 Jan 2007.
- ^ Weakest points. Flight International, 19 July 2005. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
- ^ "Report Number A05F0047". Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Air Transat |
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