Air Canada to resume flights after directive ending strike

Air Canada plans to resume flights on Sunday after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) acted on a directive from the country’s Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to end a cabin crew strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights.

The CIRB directed Air Canada to resume operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to their duties by 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), the airline said in a statement.

The directive came after the government on Saturday moved to end the strike and require binding arbitration to break a contract impasse, an action that the country’s largest carrier had sought but unionized flight attendants fiercely opposed.

Thousands of Air Canada cabin crew walked off the job on Saturday for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new contract. In anticipation of the stoppage, the airline began canceling flights on Friday, forcing more than 100,000 travelers to scramble for alternatives or stay put.

Air Canada said flights would restart on Sunday evening, but some would still be canceled over the next 7-10 days as the schedule stabilizes and returns to normal.

Published on August 17, 2025