Air Canada employees, retirees participate in vintage aircraft flyover in France
MONTREAL, April 8, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada is a proud supporter of Vimy Flight, a flyover by vintage aircraft at ceremonies in France commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Current and retired Air Canada employees will be participating in the flypast on April 9, with four of the five participating vintage aircraft flown by retired or active Air Canada pilots. Details of the event are available at http://www.vimyflight.ca.
"As Canada's flag carrier we are proud to celebrate our country's history and we are deeply respectful of the sacrifices made by Canadians at Vimy Ridge, which is regarded as a signal moment in Canada's emergence as an independent country. Moreover, Air Canada has a long affiliation with the Canadian military and we continue to this day to honor and celebrate the contributions of the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, so we are very pleased to be able to support the celebration of this significant anniversary," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada.
Air Canada provided support for the teams taking part in the flyover, including Air Canada Boeing 777 Captain, Larry Ricker, A320 Captain, Peter Thornton, and retired Air Canada pilots, Allan Snowie and Dale Erhart, who are to fly four of the five vintage aircraft at the ceremony. As well, Air Canada has been active in other ways to assist with the commemoration including:
- helping coordinate the travel of more than 4,500 students from Canada attending the event;
- assisting in the shipment to Europe of The Vimy Cross – a wooden cross carved on the battle field with the names of fallen Canadian soldiers now on loan to the Vimy Memorial in France;
- showcasing the documentary "Birth of our Nation" on our in-flight entertainment system; and,
- increasing capacity to France to accommodate those wishing to travel to the event.
Attention Photo Editors: Photographs are available at: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/about/media/photos-logos.html#/tab_9519_title_7.
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 close to 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 1,300 airports in 190 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
