Air Canada has released the 2022 edition of Citizens of the World, detailing the airline's approach, commitments and progress respecting its environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities and performance throughout 2022. The report also outlines Air Canada's ambitions for the future.
"Last year was a pivotal one for our business," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. “We celebrated our 85th anniversary and recovered from the pandemic's effects on our industry, all while advancing our ESG priorities. As Canada's flag carrier, we connect Canada to the world, and we are acutely aware of the responsibility we have toward the communities we fly to and our planet. We have developed corporate priorities to improve our operations while caring for our customers, our employees and our communities, as well as preserving the planet we help people explore.
Citizens of the World, Air Canada's 2022 Corporate Sustainability Report, describes how the airline integrates environmental, social and governance factors into its daily operations through three sustainability pillars: Business, People and Planet. Highlights include Air Canada’s agreement to purchase 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid regional aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace and to invest US$5 million (approximately C$7 million) in the company, as well as the introduction of CHOOOSE, a global climate technology company, as the airline’s new carbon offset program provider, with the option for customers to purchase verified carbon offsets now seamlessly integrated into the airline's Canadian and U.S. booking websites.
Air Canada has also made a $6.75 million investment into Canada-based climate solutions company Carbon Engineering (CE), supporting the advancement of CE's direct air capture (DAC) technology.