Air Canada will restart flights on Sunday evening after the federal government intervened to end a strike by cabin crew that halted around 700 flights a day and left more than 100,000 passengers stranded.
The walkout, which began on Saturday, marked the first strike by Air Canada flight attendants since 1985. Thousands of attendants walked off the job after months of contract negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued an order requiring Air Canada to resume operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to duty by 2pm ET (18:00 GMT).
The directive followed instructions from Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, who called for binding arbitration to settle the dispute. Air Canada had previously pressed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government for such action, but the union opposed it.
Canada’s largest airline said that while flights will resume Sunday, disruptions are expected to continue for up to 10 days as schedules are gradually restored. The company had begun canceling flights on Friday, anticipating the strike.
At the heart of the dispute is the union’s demand for compensation during ground time, including while helping passengers board. Currently, flight attendants are largely paid only when aircraft are in motion.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing the flight attendants, had pushed for a negotiated settlement, arguing that binding arbitration reduces pressure on the airline.
Air Canada confirmed on Sunday that the CIRB had extended the terms of the previous collective agreement, which expired on March 31, until a new contract is reached. CUPE has not yet commented on the decision.
