Air Transat
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| Air Transat | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| IATA TS |
ICAO TSC |
Callsign TRANSAT |
| Founded | 1986 | |
| Hubs | Montréal-Trudeau Int'l Airport Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport Vancouver International Airport |
|
| Focus cities | Québec/Jean Lesage Int'l Airport Calgary International Airport |
|
| Fleet size | 19[1] | |
| Destinations | 90 | |
| Parent company | Transat A.T. Inc. | |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec | |
| Key people | Allen Graham(Chairman & CEO) | |
| Website: http://www.airtransat.com | ||
Air Transat A.T. Inc. is an airline based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada,[2] operating scheduled and charter flights and serving 90 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and domestic flights within Canada and in the winter season the Caribbean, Mexico, USA and South America. It is the designated carrier between Canada and Cuba. Its main base is Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, with hubs at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. The airline also focuses operations at Calgary International Airport and Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport[3].
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[edit] History
Air Transat was founded by former Quebecair employees and managers (as politician Francois Legault) in December 1986 as an off-shoot of Trafic Voyages. It 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 2.5 million passengers a year. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transat A.T. Inc. Separate companies (Transat Holidays, Nolitours, Jonview Canada) operate under the banner of TDC (Transat Distribution Canada) which specialize in organizing, marketing, and distributing vacation travel and packages. The organization includes tour operators and retail travel outlets based in Canada and France. Today Air Transat is one of Canada's largest airlines, after Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet.
Air Transat has 2,667 employees[3]
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330, 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.[4] 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.
- On March 6, 2005, Air Transat Flight 961, an Airbus A310-300, 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.[5] The investigation that followed determined that the manufacturer's inspection procedure for the composite rudder was not adequate.[6] Inspection procedures for composite structures on airliners were changed because of this accident
[edit] Services
Air Transat specializes in charter flights from several Canadian cities to vacation destinations, mainly in the south during the winter months and in Europe during the summer.
[edit] Codeshare
Certain flights are operated by Thomas Cook Airlines[7] and Skyservice Airlines[8] under a codeshare[9] agreement.
[edit] New routes
| Route | Start Date | End Date | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
[edit] Fleet
The Air Transat fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2008) [10] :
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Club/Economy) | Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 14 | 249 or 250 (20/229 or 230) | Atlantic & South America | Exit from service 2015 |
| Airbus A330-243 | 3 | 342 (21/321) | Atlantic & South America | |
| Airbus A330-342 | 2 | 343 (21/322) | Atlantic & South America |
As of April 4, 2009, the Air Transat fleet average aircraft age was 16.6 years.[11].
[edit] Previously operated
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Air Transat Fleet - Official website
- ^ "Contact Us." Air Transat. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 67. 2007-03-27.
- ^ A330 'glider' drama facts revealed. Flight International, 26 Oct 2004. Retrieved 5 Jan 2007.
- ^ Weakest points. Flight International, 19 July 2005. Retrieved 5 Jan 2007.
- ^ "Report Number A05F0047". Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). 2007-11-22. http://www.bst.gc.ca/en/reports/air/2005/a05f0047/a05f0047.asp. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ Air Transat - Codesharing information Skyservice. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ Air Transat - Codesharing information Skyservice. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ Air Transat - Information for travellers. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ Air Transat fleet - Airfleets.net
- ^ Air Transat Fleet Age
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