Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have reached a tentative agreement to end a strike that grounded flights across the country, with operations set to resume Tuesday evening.
The airline said in a statement that flights will restart gradually over the coming days, though it expects it will take several days before operations return to normal. Customers are being urged not to head to the airport without a confirmed booking.
The tentative deal comes after nearly two weeks of cancelled flights, following a labour dispute that saw Air Canada’s 9,500 flight attendants walk off the job.
In a release Tuesday, CUPE said the agreement marks “transformational change” for the airline industry, declaring that “unpaid work is over” and that the deal affirms workers’ Charter rights. Members will now vote on whether to ratify the agreement.
Air Canada said it is mobilizing resources to rebook stranded passengers and is working with partner airlines to add capacity. The carrier apologized to customers, saying it recognizes the disruption has impacted travellers, their families, and Canada.
The deal applies to flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.
