MONTREAL, Nov. 14, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today said it welcomed the European Commission's announcement on Monday that it intends to suspend the inclusion of flights to and from non-European Union destinations in its emissions trading scheme.

"We are pleased with the Commission's recommendation to suspend the inclusion of international aviation in the EU's trading scheme in order to give ICAO the opportunity to fulfill its mandate and address aviation emissions through a global approach," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Air Canada is fully committed to improving its emissions footprint.  We have increased our fuel efficiency by 30 per cent since 1990.  Moreover, Air Canada wholeheartedly supports IATA's published industry targets of improving fuel efficiency by 1.5 per cent annually to 2020, carbon neutral growth beyond 2020, and reducing them by 50 per cent relative to 2005 levels by 2050.  As an international airline in a country subject to ICAO and the Chicago Convention, we expect the regulators from both the EU and ICAO to work together to address global emissions with a consistent and rational regulatory and policy approach. The EU's unilateral approach was unacceptable to Air Canada, as was the case for most international airlines and their governments. We urge ICAO to resolve this issue within an acceptable timeline."

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011 served more than 33 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 56 destinations in the United States and 63 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,356 destinations in 193 countries. In 2012, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.

SOURCE: AIR CANADA