Transat is us

Simon Asselin never starts his day without his checklists. As Air Transat’s Line Maintenance Crew Chief at Montreal – Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, he manages the team of eight highly qualified mechanics and technicians who specialize in avionics, audiovisual systems and aircraft cabins, responsible for inspecting Air Transat’s fleet of Airbus A310 and A330 aircraft.

When one of these aircraft lands, Simon and his team have a limited amount of time to check it from top to bottom, both inside and out. Armed with their vital checklists, they proceed methodically. Their work requires extensive technical skills and years of experience to become familiar with the look, sound and overall impression of an aircraft.

“We have to work very fast,” Simon explains. “We check things such as instrument readings and determine if there is a real problem or just an indicator error. A member of my team also checks the interior of the aircraft, seat by seat.”

Simon has been passionate about airplanes since childhood; his father was an aircraft engine mechanic at the Pratt & Whitney plant near Montreal. After completing his studies at École nationale d’aérotechnique du Québec, he joined Transat at age 24 when the Company was still flying Lockheed L-1011 aircraft.

That’s where Simon learned the true meaning of teamwork. “Each team member has specific skills and it is important to be able to rely on them,” he says. “We have grown together as a team so we know each other very well. That is one of the big pluses of our job.”