Air Canada's Flight Path: Ending the Strike Turbulence

Air Canada plans to resume flights after government intervention ended a cabin crew strike that halted 700 daily flights. The strike, over contract negotiations, left 100,000 passengers stranded. Flights will resume with some cancellations over the next week as the schedule stabilizes.

Air Canada announced plans to gradually resume flights after the government stepped in to end a cabin crew strike that grounded approximately 700 daily flights and stranded over 100,000 passengers. The stoppage marked the first strike by Air Canada flight attendants since 1985, following lengthened contract negotiations.

The nation's flagship carrier aims to restart operations on Sunday evening; however, some flights will still face cancellations over the next 7-10 days as the schedule stabilizes. The airline began cancelling flights on Friday in preparation for the anticipated stoppage. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has directed Air Canada to resume operations and instructed all flight attendants to return to work by 2 p.m. ET, according to an Air Canada statement.

This action came after a directive from Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, who sought to resolve the strike via binding arbitration—a step Air Canada had previously requested, but which union members opposed. Central to the negotiations was the demand from unionized workers for compensation for time spent on the ground, currently unpaid, as opposed only being compensated when the plane is in motion.

(With inputs from agencies.)