Air Canada Resumes Flights after Directing to End Strike

Air Canada announced that it will resume its flights on Sunday, after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board issued a decision in response to a directive from Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hagdo, to end the flight crew strike that caused the suspension of about 700 daily flights.

The company explained in a statement that the Board obliged Air Canada to resume its operations, and obliged all members of the hospitality crews at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to return to work before 2:00 p.m. Eastern American Time.

“The directive came after the Canadian government moved on Saturday to end the strike and impose a binding arbitration to break the deadlock in contract negotiations, a move that the country's largest airline was demanding, while the Air Hospitality Crew Union was strongly opposed.

Thousands of Air Canada's hospitality staff withdrew from Saturday, for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new employment contract. In parallel, the company on Friday began canceling its flights in anticipation of a stoppage, forcing more than 100,000 passengers to look for alternatives or stay where they are.

Air Canada said its flights will resume on Sunday evening, but some flights will remain canceled for the next seven to ten days until the schedule stabilizes and returns to normal.