Air Canada to resume flights following tentative labor agreement

Investing.com -- Air Canada (TSX:AC) flight attendants have ended their strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline following overnight negotiations, according to the bargaining committee on Tuesday.

The mediation between the union and Air Canada/Air Canada Rouge concluded successfully with Chief Mediator William Kaplan, according the committee said adding that the tentative agreement will be presented to members through zoom road shows before a ratification vote takes place.

Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 striking flight attendants began early discussions on Monday night. This marked the first such talks in nearly a week.

The flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday after contract negotiations with the carrier failed. The strike has disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

"We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations," the union said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the union, members’ right to vote on wages was protected in the negotiations.

Air Canada is planning to gradually resume its operations following the agreement, according to a statement on the airline’s website.

The carrier will begin operating its first flights on the evening of Tuesday, though full restoration of regular service could take seven to ten days as the airline works to reposition aircraft and crew members.

During this transition period, Air Canada indicated that some flights will be canceled until the schedule stabilizes. The airline is working to return to normal operations after reaching the agreement with the union representing its flight attendants.

Air Canada’s flight attendants have been on strike since the weekend, causing significant travel disruptions across the airline’s network.