Air Canada Set to Resume Operations After Reaching Tentative Agreement With Union

The first flights are scheduled for the evening of Aug. 19, however the airline says it may take seven to 10 days before full, regular service is restored.

Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft sit parked at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Aug. 18, 2025. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Air Canada is resuming operations after reaching a tentative agreement with the union that represents its 10,000 flight attendants, putting an end to the strike that began on Aug. 16.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge will begin to gradually resume operations on Aug. 19 after reaching a mediated agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the airline said in an Aug. 19 release. As part of the agreement, Air Canada’s flight attendants are required to immediately return to work.

“Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking,” Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau said in a statement, while apologizing for the impact the labour disruption has had on the airline’s customers. “Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days.”

The first flights are scheduled for the evening of Aug. 19, however the airline says it may take seven to 10 days before full, regular service is restored, as aircraft and crew are “out of position.” Some flights will be cancelled during that period until the schedule is stabilized.

Air Canada says it is not able to comment on the agreement until the ratification process is complete, but noted that the process is being overseen by a mutually agreed-to mediator, William Kaplan. A strike or lockout is not possible during a ratification or binding arbitration process, the airline noted.

CUPE also announced on Aug. 19 it had reached a tentative agreement with the airline, and said that “unpaid work is over.” The negotiations between Air Canada and CUPE had largely centred around unpaid work, with flight attendants saying it’s unfair they are not compensated for work done between flights while planes are grounded.

“The strike has ended,” CUPE said in an Aug. 19 Facebook post. “We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you.”

The union added that it is required to advise its members that it must fully cooperate with the resumption of Air Canada operations.

CUPE called the agreement a “transformational change” for the flight attendant industry, and called the strike a “historic fight to affirm our Charter rights.”

Despite receiving a back-to-work order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu mandated binding arbitration on Aug. 16, the union had continued to strike in an effort to obtain higher wages for its flight attendants.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board called the continued labour action illegal, and again ordered the union to immediately cease all strike activities. Air Canada also called the strike “unlawful.”

Before reaching a tentative agreement, CUPE National President Mark Hancock said the work stoppage would continue and that he was willing to go to jail to protect the right to strike if necessary.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Ottawa on Aug. 18 he was “disappointed” that Air Canada and the union were at an impasse in their negotiations and urged both parties to reach a deal.

Ottawa Probe Into Unpaid Work Allegations

On Aug. 18, Hajdu announced the launch of a probe into the airline sector over allegations of unpaid work.

The consultations will look at whether flight attendants are being compensated in a manner that meets the requirements of the Canada Labour Code at minimum, the employment department said in an Aug. 18 news release, adding that the government would contact targeted stakeholders to begin the process.

The results of the consultations will be analyzed and a report will be published online, the department said.

“Nobody should work for free in this country,” Hajdu said in an Aug. 18 video posted on X. “In fact, we expect to get paid for the work that we perform.”

“We will start this probe immediately and if employers are exploiting loopholes in the Canada Labour Code, we’ll close them.”