Air Transat facts for kids
Air Transat headquarters in Montreal
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| Founded | December 1986 |
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| Commenced operations | 14 November 1987 |
| AOC # | Canada: 5311 United States: ATFF123F |
| Hubs | Montréal–Trudeau |
| Focus cities |
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| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 37 |
| Destinations | 66 |
| Parent company | Transat A.T. |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Key people | |
| Revenue |  CAN$2.9 billion (2019) |
| Net income | (CAN$9.4) million (2019) |
| Total assets | CAN$1.5 billion (2015) |
| Employees | 5,100 (2020 pre-COVID-19) 1,700 (current) |
Air Transat is a Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec. It was started in 1986. The airline flies to about 60 places in 25 countries. Air Transat is part of a bigger company called Transat A.T. Inc.. As of September 2023, it has 37 airplanes.
Contents
History of Air Transat
Starting the Airline (1986–1999)
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François Legault and other business friends like Jean-Marc Eustache helped start Air Transat. The very first flight for Air Transat took off on November 14, 1987. It flew from Montreal to Acapulco, a city in Mexico. A few years later, Air Transat took over the plane repair base and aircraft from another airline called Nationair.
Growing Bigger (2000–2018)
In 2009, Air Transat's parent company, Transat A.T., started a five-year agreement with another airline called CanJet. This meant CanJet's Boeing 737 planes would fly for Transat Tours Canada.
On February 13, 2011, Air Transat had a special flight, TS163, from Cancun to Vancouver. It was flown by an all-female flight crew! Air Transat has won awards for being a great leisure airline, including in 2012, 2018, and 2019.
In 2013, Air Transat made a deal to lease Boeing 737-800 planes from Transavia France. This helped them have enough planes for busy seasons.
In December 2015, Air Transat helped bring groups of refugees from Syria to Canada. This was a big humanitarian effort. The airline's general manager said they were proud to help the Canadian government.
In 2016, Air Transat's main office in Montreal was named one of the "greenest" offices in North America. This means it was very good for the environment.
In 2017, there was a story about Air Transat and Flair Airlines. They were accused of sometimes making a quick stop to refuel on non-stop flights between Edmonton and Cancun.
Recent Times (2019–Present)
In January 2020, Forbes Canada magazine named Air Transat one of the best employers in the country. It was ranked eighth nationally.
Air Canada's Offer
In 2019, Air Canada wanted to buy Air Transat's parent company, Transat AT. Air Canada made an offer to buy the company. Another company also made an offer.
After some talks, Transat AT's board agreed to Air Canada's offer. This deal needed approval from shareholders and the government. Many people thought the deal would go through.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused big problems for airlines. Because of this, the value of Transat AT dropped. In April 2021, the deal was finally called off because it didn't get approval from the European Commission.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Air Transat stopped its regular flights for a while in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They started flying again in July 2020. But then, in January 2021, they had to stop flights again until April 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
Some reports mentioned that Air Transat, like other airlines, had challenges with giving cash refunds to passengers when flights were cancelled. However, the airline later confirmed it would handle all cash payments properly.
Where Air Transat Flies
Air Transat flies from 19 Canadian cities to many vacation spots. In winter, they mostly fly to 15 countries in the south, like the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States. In summer, they fly to 11 European countries. Some places are flown to all year round.
Their main airports in Canada are Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport. They also fly from other airports like Halifax Stanfield International Airport and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport.
Sharing Flights
Air Transat works with other airlines to offer more flight options. This is called a codeshare agreement.
Inflight Magazine
Atmosphere is the magazine you can read on Air Transat flights. It comes out twice a year and started in 2006. The magazine is available in both English and French.
Air Transat's Airplanes
Current Fleet
As of April 2024, Air Transat uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of planes they have:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | Ref | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | — | 180 | 180 | ||
| Airbus A321-200 | 8 | — | 2 | 196 | 198 | Used for flights within Canada | |
| — | 199 | 199 | Used for international flights | ||||
| Airbus A321LR | 15 | 4 | 12 | 187 | 199 | These planes have been arriving since 2019. | |
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 3 | TBA | Deliveries expected to start in 2025. | |||
| Airbus A330-200 | 11 | — | 12 | 320 | 332 | ||
| 333 | 345 | ||||||
| Airbus A330-300 | 2 | — | 12 | 334 | 346 | ||
| 351 | 363 | ||||||
| Total | 37 | 7 | |||||
Planes Used Before
Air Transat has used several other types of planes in the past. These include different models from Airbus, Boeing, and Lockheed.
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 14 | 2000 | 2020 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | 2003 | 2004 | Leased from Star Airlines |
| 4 | 2018 | 2019 | Leased from Condor | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 2 | 1991 | 1994 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 2 | 1999 | 2000 | Leased from Virgin Express |
| Boeing 737-700 | 4 | 2017 | 2019 | Leased from ASL Airlines France |
| Boeing 737-800 | 29 | 2014 | 2020 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 9 | 1992 | 2004 | |
| Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar | 16 | 1989 | 2004 | |
| Lockheed L-1011-500 TriStar | 6 | 1997 | 2004 | |
| Beoing 737 MAX | 5 | 2023 | Leased from SmartLynx Airlines |
Important Events and Incidents
A few notable events have happened with Air Transat flights:
- On July 6, 2001, Air Transat Flight 906 faced a big hail storm. The plane, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, safely returned to Lyon Airport.
- On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330-200, was flying from Toronto to Lisbon. It lost engine power over the Atlantic Ocean because of a fuel leak. The pilots, Captain Robert Piche and First Officer Dirk DeJager, managed to land the plane safely without power at Lajes Air Base in the Azores. All 306 people on board survived. This event is known as the longest flight and landing by a commercial plane without engine power.
- On March 6, 2005, Air Transat Flight 961 had a problem where part of its tail, called the rudder, broke off during the flight. The crew was able to control the plane and land safely in Varadero. This event led to changes in how composite parts on airplanes are inspected.
- On July 31, 2017, Air Transat Flight 157 was flying from Brussels to Montreal. It had to land in Ottawa because of bad storms in Montreal. More than 300 passengers were on the plane for 6 hours without air conditioning or enough water. This situation caused a lot of discussion about passenger rights in Canada.
Images for kids
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An Air Transat Airbus A330-300 in 2019, showing the current colors
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An Air Transat Airbus A310-300 from 2013, showing older colors
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An Air Transat Lockheed L-1011 in 1995
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See also
In Spanish: Air Transat para niños
