Air Canada has announced that the flagship carrier will resume flights on Sunday evening after a government directive ended a cabin crew strike that led to the cancellation of around 700 daily flights, leaving over 100,000 passengers stranded, according to a Reuters report published Sunday.
The disruption began when thousands of flight attendants walked off their respective jobs on Saturday — their first strike since 1985 — following months of failed contract negotiations. The airline had, in anticipation of the strike, already started cancelling flights on Friday.
CIRB Orders Operations to Resume
According to a statement from Air Canada, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to work by 2 pm ET Sunday (1800 GMT). The board’s decision followed a directive from the country’s Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, who moved to impose binding arbitration, aiming to resolve the contract deadlock.
“The CIRB has ordered Air Canada to resume operations and all flight attendants to return to duty,” The airline said, per Reuters.
Flights will begin resuming Sunday evening, even as the airline warned that some cancellations could continue for seven to ten days as the schedule gradually reaches normalcy.
Core Dispute Over Ground Pay
At the center of the labour dispute is the flight attendants’ key demand to be compensated for time spent on the ground between flights and during boarding — periods for which they are currently not paid.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing the flight attendants, had opposed binding arbitration and advocated for a negotiated settlement, per the US-based news agency.
Temporary Extension of Expired Contract
Air Canada confirmed that the CIRB has extended the terms of the collective agreement that expired on March 31 until a new deal is reached.
The federal government’s move to end the strike came after Air Canada previously sought intervention from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal administration.
