Air Canada could start cancelling flights imminently ahead of strike deadline

Air Canada could start winding up operations and cancelling flights imminently ahead of Sunday’s strike deadline.

Unless a settlement is reached by Sunday, either Air Canada or the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents 5,200 Air Canada pilots, could issue a 72-hour lockout or strike notice.

Business, industry and tourism groups have called on the federal government to intervene, before a strike or a lockout disrupts air travel.

Air Canada president and CEO Michael Rousseau said in a statement Monday that while there was still time to reach an agreement with the pilots, “Canadians have recently seen the chaos abrupt airline shutdowns cause for travellers, which obliges us to do everything we can to protect our customers from an increasingly likely work stoppage.”

The 72-hour shutdown or strike notice period could begin anytime after midnight on Sunday, with operations expected to come to a complete halt by Wednesday, Sept. 18. However, some operations would have to start winding down as early as Friday, the airline said.

Rosseau said 80 per cent of Air Canada’s passengers could be affected by work stoppages. The airline said it will begin an “orderly shutdown” of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations once a strike or lockout notice is issued.

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Duncan Dee, former Air Canada chief operating officer, told Global News, “Air Canada will start winding down their operations by moving aircraft closer and closer to their bases, where they have crews and mechanics available to take care of those aircraft during a disruption so that in a restart of operations, they can do so much more quickly, with much less impact on travellers.”

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Air Canada Express flights will continue to operate, as third-party carriers Jazz and PAL Airlines provide these services. However, these regional partners carry only about 20 per cent of Air Canada’s daily customers, many of whom ultimately connect on Air Canada flights.

The airline said a work stoppage could affect 110,000 passengers a day.

ALPA on Thursday set up a “strike headquarters” near Toronto Pearson  International Airport. The union said in a statement this was being done to support its members if a strike occurs.

Last month, the pilots have voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike mandate if an agreement on a new contract cannot be reached.

First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA master executive council, said in a statement, “Rather than taking shots at the professional pilots who safely transport their passengers day in and day out, Air Canada should stop threatening to disrupt air travel and come to the bargaining table with serious proposals to keep the flagship Canadian carrier competitive in the global aviation market.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would “never support” any back-to-work legislation.

Speaking at a press conference earlier in Ottawa on Wednesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had called for a “fair deal” and for Air Canada to negotiate in “good faith” with the union workers.

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