MONTREAL, Jan. 26, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been recognized by the Finance and Sustainability Initiative (FSI) with the "2017 Award for Best Corporate Sustainability Report - Transportation" in Canada. This annual competition aims to promote excellence in sustainable development reporting among Canadian public companies. 

Air Canada was selected to receive this honour for its 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, Citizens of the World, updated annually on www.aircanada.com/csr. The airline's fifth corporate sustainability report details Air Canada's performance during 2015 in four key areas of sustainability: safety, the environment, employee well-being, and the company's community involvement.

It was prepared in accordance with principles of the Global Reporting Initiative G4 guidelines, an internationally recognized standard for sustainability reporting. To further validate the report, Air Canada took the extra step of retaining a third-party auditor to assure select indicators and independently verify the company's disclosure. The report is framed around the findings of an extensive stakeholder survey to identify areas of most concern with respect to sustainability.  It also contains a discussion of governance practices at Air Canada and tables of data quantifying the results of our sustainability activities. Highlights of 2015 include:

• Lost Time Injuries declined three per cent from the previous year, the fifth straight year of decline;
• Successful completion of the IATA Operational safety audit (IOSA);
• Its fuel efficiency initiatives are estimated to have saved almost 11,000 tonnes of fuel or approximately 35,000 tonnes of CO2e (equivalent);
• $312 million was contributed to company pension plans;
• The Air Canada Foundation raised $1.6 million in 2015, a 10 per cent increase from 2014.

The Finance and Sustainability Initiative (FSI) is a Montreal-based non-profit organization that brings together finance professionals dedicated to promoting sustainable finance and, more specifically, responsible investment to financial institutions, companies, and universities.  More information is available at www.ifd-fsi.org.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served more than 45 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 57 in the United States and 91 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 1,330 airports in 192 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.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada

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