Summit Air to become the Canadian North's first carbon neutral airline

VANCOUVER, April 7 /CNW/ - To reduce its impact on climate change, Summit Air Charters has partnered with Offsetters, Canada's first and leading carbon management provider, to become the first carbon neutral airline serving Canada's North effective April 1, 2010.

The first step was working with Offsetters to better understand their carbon footprint, and Summit Air will now work to reduce carbon emissions. The final step will be to offset the emissions generated by both their corporate and flight operations that can not be reduced any further, so that Summit Air is fully carbon neutral.

"The impact of climate change is particularly felt in Canada's North and we are proud to partner with a local company that is taking steps to reduce their impact," said Offsetters' vice president of marketing and client engagement, Kari Grist. "Summit Air has been providing transportation services to Canada's North for over 20 years, and they are seeing the effects of climate change firsthand."

Summit Air's customers will play a role in helping to reduce their own climate impact while flying. The costs of offsets will be included in their charter fares on a per mile basis. The money raised will be invested in high quality offsets as recommended by Offsetters.

"We decided it was time to do what we could as a local business to help reduce our climate impact," said Summit Air's president, Dave Mathieson. "We also want to encourage other local businesses to do the same."

About Offsetters:

As Canada's first and leading carbon management provider, Offsetters helps individuals and companies understand, reduce and offset their climate impact. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Offsetters was the first ever Official Supplier of Carbon Offsets to an Olympic Games and will be providing the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) with carbon credits sourced from clean technologies developed in BC's Lower Mainland. In 2009, Offsetters was also selected by the Pacific Carbon Trust as the largest initial supplier of carbon offsets to the BC Crown Corporation. For more information go to www.offsetters.ca

About Summit Air:

Summit Air Charters LP has been serving the air transportation needs of the Canadian North for over 20 years, providing passenger and cargo charters services for a wide range of clients serving a variety of transportation needs. They can accommodate unique transportation using Dornier 228 and Shorts Skyvan aircraft that can be configured to suit multiple purposes throughout Northern Canada and beyond. For more information go to www.summitair.net

For further information: Media Contact: Melanie Wong, Offsetters, [phone] or (cell) [phone], [email protected]; Chuck Depew, Summit Air, [phone], [email protected]