Air Canada announced that it will proceed from today, Tuesday, to a gradual restart of its flights, following an agreement reached with the union of 10,000 flight attendants, who were on strike.
The mediation talks were based on the union’s commitment to immediately return crew members to work, allowing the resumption of operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. The two airlines have been grounded since August 16, affecting more than 500,000 passengers.
According to the company, the first flights are scheduled for tonight (local time). However, a full return to the normal schedule may take 7 to 10 days, as both aircraft and crews are out of position. In the meantime, more cancellations are possible until the network stabilizes.
Air Canada did not provide details about the agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), stressing that announcements will only be made after the ratification process is complete. “During the ratification or any mandatory arbitration, neither a strike nor a lockout is possible. This means that customers can plan, book and travel with confidence,” the statement said.
The company’s CEO, Michael Rousseau, expressed regret for the inconvenience to passengers:
“The suspension of our service has been extremely difficult for our customers. We apologize for the inconvenience this labour dispute has caused. Our priority is to get them on the road as quickly as possible.”
At the same time, he warned that full restoration of routes will not be immediate:
“Restarting a major airline like Air Canada is a complex process. It may take more than a week, so we ask for our customers’ understanding and patience. I assure you that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything they can to be able to travel as soon as possible.”
