Air Canada Operates Biofuel Flight From Edmonton to San Francisco

• Biofuel use will reduce this flight's carbon emissions by over 10 tonnes, equivalent of taking 26 cars off the road for an entire month

EDMONTON, May 2, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced its Edmonton-San Francisco flight today will operate with biofuel onboard a 146-seat Airbus A320-200 aircraft. The larger aircraft was scheduled for today's flight to accommodate the trade mission delegation led by the Government of Alberta, the City of Edmonton and Edmonton-area businesses to California.

"Air Canada is proud to partner today with the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) to operate today's flight with biofuel. Air Canada continues to support and advocate for the development of biofuel in Canada to become commercially viable; a big step towards creating more sustainable aviation in Canada and internationally. This is our eighth biofuel-operated flight since 2012. The result of today's biofuel use reduces this flight's carbon emissions by over 10 tonnes, which represents a 20% reduction in net carbon emissions for this flight," said Teresa Ehman, Director, Environmental Affairs at Air Canada. 

"Since 1990, Air Canada has improved its fuel efficiency by 43 per cent. We have also committed to meet ambitious targets set by the International Air Transport Association, including carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. These efforts and other green initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce waste were recognized by Air Transport World which earlier this year named Air Canada the Eco-Airline of the Year for 2018."

"This biofuel demonstration flight reflects our combined commitment to bring forward low carbon, renewable fuels into the aviation and airport sectors," said Tom Ruth, President and CEO of Edmonton International Airport. "Air Canada's leadership in the renewable resource sector strongly aligns with EIA's commitment to regional economic development and sustainability, while reducing the long-term carbon impact of airport operations."

"Dozens of Alberta businesses and organizations are joining us on today's San Francisco flight, to help showcase our province's potential abroad and create new jobs and opportunities at home," said the Honourable Deron Bilous, Alberta Minister of Economic Development and Trade. "Using biofuel is an important reminder that, by working with partners like Air Canada and EIA, Alberta will continue to be the energy and environmental leader North America needs for the 21st century."

"This commitment and use of cleaner energy shows corporate leadership which is integral to all of us working together to address climate change," said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. "I hope it encourages other companies to follow suit so we can continue to accelerate leadership on energy transition and climate change."

Air Canada'sEdmonton-San Francisco daily, non-stop flights launched yesterday, May 1.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 220 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2017 served more than 48 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 60 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 1,317 airports in 193 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: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

About Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation whose mandate is to drive economic prosperity for the Edmonton Region. EIA is Canada's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. EIA offers non-stop connections to 60 destinations across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. EIA is a major economic driver, with an economic output of over $3.2 billion, supporting over 26,000 jobs. For more information, please visit: flyeia.com, follow @flyeia on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada