Air Transat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Air Transat

An Air Transat Airbus A330
Founded	December 1986; 38 years ago (1986-12)
Commenced operations	14 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-14)
AOC #	Canada: 5311 United States: ATFF123F
Hubs	Montréal–Trudeau
Focus cities	Québec City Toronto Pearson
Subsidiaries	Air Transat Cargo
Fleet size	43
Destinations	66
Parent company	Transat A.T.
Headquarters	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Key people	Annick Guérard (president & CEO); Marc-Philippe Lumpé (COO); Susan Kudzman (president of the board of directors)
Revenue	CAN$3.283 billion (2024)
Net income	(CAN$114.030) million (2024)
Total assets	CAN$2.750 billion (2023)
Employees	5,100 (2020 pre-COVID-19) 5,000 (2023)

Air Transat is a Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec. It started in 1986 and offers both regular and special flights to over 60 places in 25 countries. Air Transat is part of Transat A.T. Inc., and as of September 2023, it had 37 aircraft registered in Canada.

History of Air Transat

Starting the Airline (1986–1999)

Air Transat headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

An Air Transat Airbus A310-300 at Manchester Airport in 2001

François Legault helped start Air Transat with other business partners. He later left the company in 1997.

Air Transat's first flight was on November 14, 1987, from Montreal to Acapulco. Six years later, Air Transat took over the maintenance base and planes from Nationair, which had stopped flying. Air Transat is fully owned by Transat A.T. Inc.

Growing Bigger (2000–2018)

On February 13, 2009, Transat A.T. announced a five-year agreement with CanJet. Starting May 1, 2009, Transat Tours Canada began using CanJet's Boeing 737 planes for flights from Canadian cities to different destinations. This new agreement replaced an older one with WestJet.

On February 13, 2011, Air Transat Flight TS163 had its first flight with an all-female crew, flying from Cancun to Vancouver. The airline has won several awards, including the Skytrax World's Best Leisure Airline Awards in 2012, 2018, and 2019.

In September 2013, Air Transat made a seasonal agreement with Transavia France. This deal allowed Air Transat to lease up to nine Boeing 737-800s by 2019.

In March 2016, Air Transat's main office in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, was recognized as one of the greenest head offices in North America.

Recent Events (2019–Present)

In January 2020, Forbes Canada listed Air Transat as one of the best employers in the country, placing it eighth nationally.

Planned Purchase by Air Canada

On May 16, 2019, Transat AT, the company that owns Air Transat, announced it was discussing being bought by Air Canada. Air Canada offered C$13 per share. Another company, Group Mach, offered C$14.

A 2013 image of an Air Transat Airbus A310-300, showing a previous livery

An Air Transat Lockheed L-1011 in the 1995 livery

On June 27, 2019, Transat AT's board accepted Air Canada's offer of C$520 million. The deal needed approval from two-thirds of shareholders. Some major investors thought the offer was too low. The sale also needed approval from government regulators. If the purchase had gone through, Air Transat would have continued to operate as a separate brand.

By August 12, 2019, Air Canada increased its offer to C$18 per share, making the acquisition worth C$720 million. This helped them get support from Letko Brosseau, Transat AT's largest shareholder. On August 23, most of Transat's shareholders approved the C$18 per share offer. The deal was expected to close after May 2, 2020, following a review by Transport Canada.

The purchase was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The share price of Transat AT dropped. On October 13, 2020, the two companies agreed to a new offer of C$5 per share, which lowered the total value of the deal to C$180 million.

However, on April 2, 2021, the deal was cancelled because it did not get approval from the European Commission.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

On July 23, 2020, Air Transat announced it would start flying again after a 112-day break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, as the pandemic continued, Air Transat announced it would stop most flights again from January 29 to April 30, 2021.

Some reports showed that Air Transat was one of the airlines that had trouble giving cash refunds to passengers whose flights were cancelled. This was against the rules that say airlines must refund passengers for cancelled flights, even during the pandemic. Air Transat later assured authorities that all cash payments would be handled correctly.

Where Air Transat Flies

Air Transat specializes in charter flights from 19 Canadian cities to vacation spots. In winter, they mainly fly to 15 countries in the south. In summer, they fly to 11 European countries. Some destinations are available all year. During winter, popular places include the Caribbean, Mexico, the United States, and Central America. Their main Canadian hubs are Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport. They also fly from airports like Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport.

Airline Partnerships

Air Transat works with other airlines through agreements:

• Porter Airlines (joint-venture partner)
• Flair Airlines
• WestJet

They also have interline agreements with:

• Air Mauritius
• Aegean Airlines
• Air Europa
• Azul
• Jet2.com
• Pegasus Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Volotea

Inflight Magazine

Atmosphere is Air Transat's magazine that you can read on their flights. It comes out twice a year. It started in March 2006 and is published in both English and French.

Air Transat's Fleet

Current Aircraft

As of May 2025, Air Transat uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of aircraft they have:

Past Aircraft

Air Transat has used several other types of aircraft in the past:

Flight Events and Safety

• On July 6, 2001, Air Transat Flight 906, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, had to return to Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport after flying through a severe hail storm. The plane landed safely but was too damaged to fly again. It is now used for emergency training at Lyon Airport.
• On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330-200 flying from Toronto to Lisbon, had to make an emergency landing in the Azores. The plane lost engine power over the Atlantic Ocean due to a fuel leak. The pilots, Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk DeJager, safely landed the aircraft at Lajes Air Base. All 306 people on board survived. An investigation found that a wrong part was installed during maintenance, which caused the fuel line to leak. The plane was repaired and continued flying for Air Transat until March 2020. This event is known as the longest flight and landing by a commercial airliner without engine power.
• On March 6, 2005, Air Transat Flight 961, an Airbus A310-308, had a part of its tail (the rudder) break off during a flight. The crew managed to control the plane and land it safely at Varadero. The investigation led to changes in how composite parts on airliners are inspected.
• On July 31, 2017, Air Transat Flight 157, an Airbus A330-200, flying from Brussels to Montréal–Trudeau, was diverted to Ottawa. This happened because of storms in the Montreal area. Over 300 passengers were kept on the plane for 6 hours without water, electricity, or air conditioning. Some passengers felt unwell. Airport authorities brought water and helped passengers get off the plane. Air Transat said airport congestion caused the problem, but airport staff said the pilots did not ask for help. This event led to discussions about improving passenger rights in Canada.

See also

In Spanish: Air Transat para niños