AIR Canada said it plans to resume flights on Sunday after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) acted on a directive from federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, referring the airline’s contract negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to final binding interest arbitration.
The directive, under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, and the CIRB’s order, ends the strike at Air Canada that resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights.
The CIRB has directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to resume their duties by 2 p.m. EDT on August 17. The CIRB further ordered that the term of the collective agreement between Air Canada and CUPE that expired on March 31, 2025, be extended to include the period beginning on April 1, 2025, and ending on the day on which the new collective agreement between the parties comes into effect.
The CIRB also imposed final binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding terms of the collective agreement. The arbitration procedure will be addressed in the coming days and weeks.
Because the airline had implemented its shut-down and suspended operations at 1:30 a.m. EDT on August 16, aircraft and crew are out of position vis-à-vis the schedule. Restart of operations will begin immediately, with first flights Sunday evening, but Air Canada expects it will take several days before its operations return to normal.
During this process, some flights will be canceled over the next seven to 10 days until the schedule is stabilized.
Customers whose flights were cancelled and did not travel and who did not accept a refund or credit for future travel, will be notified and provided a new itinerary. Air Canada strongly recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating. They should check their flight’s status on www.aircanada.com or on Air Canada’s mobile app before going to the airport. Customers are also advised to use self-service tools as contact centre wait times are expected to remain elevated during the ramp up period.
Under Canada’s Airline Passenger Protection Regulations, customers in Canada are not eligible for compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, meals, hotels or other incidental expenses for situations outside the carrier’s control, such as a labour disruption. Air Canada will in all cases inform passengers of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations.
