Air Transat considering 80-person layoff amid financial turbulence

People look on as an Air Transat plane takes off at Trudeau in Montreal, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

Transat A.T. Inc. is preparing to lay off up to 80 workers as the tour operator struggles to turn its finances around, according to a preliminary notice sent to the Quebec government.

Over the course of the year, the company has felt the headwinds of stiff competition, engine recalls and the threat of a union strike, which together conspired to drain more money from the struggling outfit.

Quebec labour rules require some companies to submit potential layoff figures for provincially regulated jobs, even if the cuts never come to pass.

In a notice to the province's employment department, Transat says the layoffs could be effective by Nov. 1, specifying in an email that they would not apply to pilots, flight attendants or other federally regulated roles.

Transat spokesman Andrean Gagne says notification of the potential layoffs marks a "precautionary measure" in order to comply with provincial rules.

In its first three quarters, Transat reported a combined net loss of $155.3 million versus a loss of $28.5 million in the same period a year earlier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 2, 2024.

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