Air Canada announces resumption of flights after government intervention to end strike

Air Canada announced the gradual resumption of flights on Sunday, August 17, following government intervention to end the strike by 10,000 flight attendants that began the day before and is paralyzing the airline's operations.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) "has ordered Air Canada to resume operations and all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to work by 6 p.m. GMT [8 p.m. Paris time] on August 17, 2025," Air Canada said in a statement. Flights will resume Sunday evening, with a gradual increase over the next few days, the company said.

"We are now officially on strike," announced in a press release on Saturday the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the approximately 10,000 flight personnel affected.

Beyond a pay raise, the Canadian airline's cabin crew are also demanding to be paid for the hours they work on the ground, including during boarding, which has not been the case until now.

In response, Air Canada, which directly serves 180 cities worldwide, announced that it had "suspended all operations," including 700 flights scheduled for Saturday, affecting approximately 130,000 passengers. Even before the strike officially began, the airline had gradually scaled back its operations. On Friday evening, it announced that it had already canceled 623 flights in the past few days, affecting more than 100,000 passengers.

"We are deeply saddened for our passengers. No one wants to see Canadians stranded or worried about their travel plans, but we cannot work for free," insisted Natasha Stea, a representative of the flight attendants.

The federal government had asked an independent arbitrator, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, to resolve the disputes between the airline and CUPE. This board has the power to order the resumption of operations.