Air Canada is marking National Indigenous Peoples Day by proudly highlighting the achievements and contributions of its Indigenous employees. This week, flight AC185 from Toronto to Vancouver, operated with Air Canada's flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was flown by an all-Indigenous full crew of two pilots and nine flight attendants. This flight was also supported by Indigenous employees on the ground.
“We are honored to salute and acknowledge the achievements and contributions of Air Canada's 350 First Nations, Inuit and Métis employees, who originated the idea of operating a flight with an all-Indigenous crew. We are thrilled to champion their pride in their identity and their professional attainments in aviation, which also makes them incredible ambassadors for our company and role models for young people. As well, we are appreciative of our Indigenous employees' desire to help us demonstrate that Air Canada is a company that promotes and celebrates diversity and is a company open to and welcoming of all talents,” said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice President – People, Culture & Communications.
“Leading by example, Air Canada is first out of the gate to deploy an entirely Indigenous-operated flight acknowledging the contributions of their Indigenous employees. This is an unprecedented move to advance Indigenous participation and business initiatives, and will motivate other companies to support long-term sustainable opportunities that enhance our economy,” says JP Gladu, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). “I am proud and honoured that Air Canada is a CCAB member and look forward to our continued partnership together.”
“Air Canada has been a valued supporter of Indspire for 27 years as Founding Partner and Official Airline of the Indspire Awards. With this initiative, they are demonstrating that they really walk the talk,” said Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire. “When I speak with First Nations, Inuit and Métis students, I tell them they can do anything they set their minds to, so to see themselves well represented in this industry really drives that point home. Bravo Air Canada!”
Air Canada Proudly Salutes its Indigenous Employees on National Indigenous Peoples Day from Air Canada on Vimeo.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving nearly 220 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2018 served nearly 51 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 63 airports in Canada, 56 in the United States and 100 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 2019 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.
National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated as National Aboriginal Day in 1996, after it was proclaimed that year by then Governor General of Canada Roméo LeBlanc, to be celebrated annually on June 21. This date was chosen as the statutory holiday for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the Summer solstice, and the fact that it is a day on which many Indigenous peoples and communities traditionally celebrate their heritage. It was renamed from National Aboriginal Day in 2017. – Wikipedia
Source – Air Canada Media Room
