MONTREAL, July 8, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Transat and SAF + Consortium are proud to announce the signing of the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offtake agreement in Canada. This is an historical moment for the Canadian aviation industry since for the first time, a Canadian commercial airline has agreed to work hand in hand with a clean fuel developer in reducing its environmental footprint and is an important part of Air Transat's strategy to meet aviation's greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. Air Transat is so convinced that the future of SAF will be a priority for the aviation industry that it has committed to buying a significant portion of the future SAF production which SAF+ will be producing.

"We are committed to offering our clients with a low carbon footprint travelling experience, while achieving our environmental obligations," says Jean-François Lemay, President of Air Transat.

"We are glad to work with the environmental team at Air Transat; It takes people with a vision to buy into this project, and Air Transat believed in it from day one and never stopped supporting this amazing endeavour," says Jean Paquin, President and Chief Executive Officer of SAF+ Consortium.

SAF+ Consortium is finalizing the fabrication of a pilot plant in Montreal East to make kerosene from carbon dioxide (CO2). The process consists in capturing CO2 produced from large industrial emitters and converting it to synthetic jet fuel by using a process called Fisher Tropsch (FT). It is estimated that SAF+ kerosene will have an 80% lower carbon footprint than conventional jet fuel.

"Capturing CO2 which would have otherwise been released in the atmosphere and give it a second use only makes sense," says Keith Lawless, Senior Director, Environment, ETS, and Strategic Projects at Air Transat. "Not only do you reduce your footprint, but you also achieve a substantial reduction of GHG, helping Quebec and Canada meet its climate change objectives."

"The demand for SAF in the aviation sector will almost double annually for the next 30 years. So, solutions such as the production of SAF in Montreal will put Quebec-Canada on the map while providing great jobs for the future," says Alexandru Iordan, Chief Technical Officer of SAF + Consortium.

About AIR TRANSAT

Air Transat is Canada's number one leisure airline. It flies to some 60 international destinations in more than 25 countries in the Americas and Europe, offers domestic and connecting flights within Canada, and carries some 5 million passengers every year. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel and offering vacation packages, hotel stays and air travel. Transat was awarded Travelife certification in 2018 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development. Based in Montreal, it has 5,000 employees.

About SAF + CONSORTIUM

SAF+ CONSORTIUM (www.safplusconsortium.com) is a Quebec firm specializing in the development of clean fuel made by capturing CO2 emissions from industrial sources. It brings together leading actors spanning the entire aviation value chain to provide Canadians with a sustainable business solution for low-carbon flights.

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.

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