The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing Air Canada flight attendants, has announced the end of its strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline. In a statement on Tuesday, the union said it would now cooperate fully with the resumption of operations, adding that the deal secured “transformational change” for the industry, including an end to unpaid work. CUPE described the agreement as the outcome of a “historic fight” and confirmed that members would vote on the terms in the coming days.
Air Canada confirmed the development, disclosing that a mediator, William Kaplan, had facilitated the breakthrough. The airline, however, cautioned that restoring normal operations would take time. “Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more,” said Air Canada president Michael Rousseau, noting that initial flights were expected to resume on Tuesday evening.
The strike, which had grounded flights for days, severely disrupted travel for an estimated 500,000 passengers. The airline flies to 180 destinations worldwide and said aircraft and crew remained “out of position,” meaning passengers should only proceed to airports if their flights were confirmed as operational. “The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologise for the impact on them,” Rousseau added.
The labour dispute had intensified over the weekend after federal labour minister Patty Hajdu invoked emergency provisions to halt the strike and push both sides into binding arbitration. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) subsequently ordered flight attendants back to work in two rulings, but CUPE initially resisted compliance, prolonging uncertainty. The breakthrough agreement was reached only after intensified mediation efforts.
Prime Minister Mark Carney described the prolonged standoff as “disappointing,” given that negotiations had dragged on for eight months without resolution. While he welcomed the tentative agreement, he stressed the need for fairness in compensation. “It is important that flight attendants are compensated equitably, but at the same time, hundreds of thousands of Canadians faced unacceptable travel disruption,” Carney told reporters.
