Air Canada celebrates the day with an all Indigenous crew on flight

An all-Indigenous crew — two pilots and nine flight attendants — marked National Indigenous Peoples Day in the operation of an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Vancouver.

Air Canada’s flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flight AC185, was also greeted by Indigenous employees on the ground and received a Musqueam welcome on arrival.

“We are honoured to salute and acknowledge the achievements and contributions of Air Canada’s 350 First Nations, Inuit and Métis employees, who originated the idea of operating a flight with an all-Indigenous crew, said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice President - People, Culture & Communications.

“We are thrilled to champion their pride in their identity and their professional attainments in aviation, which also makes them incredible ambassadors for our company and role models for young people.”

Air Canada is the first to deploy an entirely Indigenous-operated flight acknowledging the contributions of their Indigenous employees, said JP Gladu, president and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

“This is an unprecedented move to advance Indigenous participation and business initiatives, and will motivate other companies to support long-term sustainable opportunities that enhance our economy.”