Air Canada Could Shutdown Operations Within Days Amid Fierce Labor Battle
Photo Caption: An Air Canada Airbus A220 in Vancouver. Vincenzo Pace
Skift Take
Air Canada's shutdown plan throws fuel onto an already heated dispute. The parties are continuing to talk, but the preparation of contingency measures suggests a total shutdown of the airline by next week is a real and growing possibility.
Air Canada is warning of an “orderly shutdown” of its flying program — potentially before the end of the week. On Monday morning, the flag carrier issued a strongly worded statement in response to a long-running labor dispute.
It said talks with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) are “nearing [an] impasse,” citing the organization’s “excessive wage demands.” Meetings between the union and the airline are ongoing, but the company warned that the parties remain far from an agreement.
Unless a deal is reached, from Sunday, September 15, either party may issue a 72-hour strike or lock-out notice. The company says this would trigger its wind-down plan.
Bosses at Air Canada and its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge are
