Air Canada is set to resume flights this Sunday following the Canadian Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB) response to a directive from Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to end the cabin crew strike. This strike had led to the suspension of approximately 700 flights daily.
The CIRB ordered Air Canada to restart operations, mandating all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to work by 2pm ET (1800 GMT), according to the airline’s statement.
This directive followed government intervention on Saturday, aiming to end the strike and enforce binding arbitration to resolve a contract deadlock—a measure the airline supported but the unionized flight attendants strongly resisted.
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On Saturday, for the first time since 1985, thousands of Air Canada cabin crew members went on strike after prolonged contract negotiations. Anticipating the strike, the airline began canceling flights on Friday, affecting over 100,000 passengers who had to seek alternative plans or postpone their travel.
Air Canada announced that flights would resume on Sunday evening, though some cancellations could continue for 7-10 days as the schedule stabilizes.
