Air Canada has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights for a second day, as a strike by its flight attendants continues to paralyze the country’s largest airline and strand passengers across global routes during the peak of summer travel.
The airline said on Sunday that it would suspend its tentative plan to restart limited services through Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary Rouge, after the union representing cabin crew refused to comply with a government directive ordering them back to work.
“The airline will resume flights as of tomorrow evening,” Air Canada said in a statement, though the scale of that resumption remained unclear.
The walkout, which began last week, has quickly rippled across the travel industry. Airports in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — normally among North America’s busiest summer hubs — have been left with packed departure halls, mounting delays and growing passenger frustration.
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Ottawa has sought to bring the strike to a swift end, citing the damage to the national economy and disruption to thousands of families. But union leaders insist their members have a right to strike over pay, scheduling and working conditions, which they say have deteriorated since the pandemic.
For now, travelers face continued uncertainty. The union has shown no sign of backing down, and the airline — while pledging to restore operations “as soon as feasible” — has acknowledged that a full return to normal schedules will take time.