Flair Airlines releases report on sustainability, environmental initiatives
Edmonton-based Flair Airlines released a report Wednesday that included environmental, efficiency and sustainability initiatives, some it hopes to share across the aviation industry.
The Environmental, Social and Governance Report highlighted sustainability goals Flair is working toward.
"As Canada's only ultra low-cost carrier, our mission has always been to provide affordable travel to Canadians," said Stephen Jones, the CEO of Flair Airlines. "Our dedication to sustainability has been an integral part of that mission from the beginning."
"We're reducing our carbon footprint through choosing better, collaborating with our supply chain and operating with less," said Amanda Mesluk, the senior manager of sustainability at Flair.
"On average, we're about 30 per cent less carbon emissions per flight than other traditional carriers."
Flair is also working on initiatives to recycle plastics to reduce the amount of waste coming off of planes.
In 2023, the company focused on reducing single-use plastics and plans to expand its sustainable cabin initiative. This included replacing plastic cutlery and cups with recycled paper and compostable products.
"Those processes and standard operating procedures that are designed with our airport partners will be shared with aviation as a whole," Mesluk said. "As simple as it seems, there's been challenges in this space and there continues to be challenges for domestic waste.
"In domestic arrivals, not all airports have the infrastructure to support recycling of in-cabin waste, as well as the waste haulers; those contracts haven't been set up."
In support of sustainable aviation fuels, the Canadian government announced $500 million per year to support biofuel production in the 2024 Budget.
"Sustainable aviation fuels play a really important part in the future of the aviation industry," Jones said. "There are lots of challenges with sustainable aviation fuels, the challenges of the economics are one of the primary ones, but there's also challenges around distribution logistics, getting it through the supply chain to all of the points where we pick up fuel for the aircraft.
"It's great to see that the government is playing its part in that as well."
In 2023, Flair created 8,000 jobs and expanded its bases of operations, according to Mesluk.
In March, data from aviation analytics company Circum showed there were around 600 fewer Flair flights scheduled in March, April and May this year, versus the same months in 2023.
"Overall capacity, as measured by the industry-standard metric Available Seat Miles (ASM), is up by four per cent compared to the same March to May period last year,” Jones said in a statement in March.
“Over 70 per cent of ASMs this past winter season were deployed to warm-weather destinations. These routes are typically longer than domestic routes, so we are operating further but slightly fewer flights."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.