Air Canada says some operations will start to be affected as time is running out before a potential shutdown due to a labour dispute with its pilots, but the airline noted it hadn’t cancelled any flights on Friday in anticipation of a strike.
“At this point, we have not cancelled any flights for today due to the disruption. In the event there are, customers will be notified if there are any changes to their travel,” a spokesperson for the airline told CBC News.
“There have been a small number of cancellations today, but these are unrelated to the disruption and due to other issues such as maintenance.”
The spokesperson said the situation is evolving, noting that Air Canada has stopped accepting certain cargo items, including live animals and perishables. Some services like vacation packages will start to be affected on Friday, while a full shutdown could happen on Sept. 18.
The airline on Thursday called for the federal government to be ready to intervene to avoid major disruptions that a shutdown would cause for its more than 110,000 travellers a day.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday it’s up to Air Canada and the union representing its pilots to reach an agreement to avoid disrupting travellers and businesses.
Speaking at an event in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., Trudeau said he wouldn’t tip the scales toward either party, while dodging the question of whether he would force pilots back to work.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’s ‘not going to put my thumb on the scale’ on either side as Air Canada and the pilots’ union try to reach an agreement in an ongoing contract dispute.
“I know every time there’s a strike, people say, ‘Oh, you’ll get the government to come in and fix it.’ We’re not going to do that,” said Trudeau.
“We have and we will protect the Canadian economy. But first and foremost is putting all the pressure on the people who need to feel that pressure — unions and the employers.”
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that he’d spoken with his provincial counterparts, union leaders and industry partners “who all want to see Air Canada and ALPA reach a deal at the bargaining table.”
“There’s no reason why these parties can’t get a deal done here,” he wrote.
The airline and pilots will be in a position starting Sunday to issue 72-hour notice of a strike or lockout. The airline has said the notice would trigger its three-day wind-down plan and start the clock on a full work stoppage.
Air Canada says the union is being inflexible with “unreasonable wage…
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