Air Canada to resume flights after government action forces staff back to work

Air Canada has confirmed that flights will resume today following a government intervention, ensuring that striking flight attendants return to work. On August 17, 2025, the airline said that after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) acted on a directive from Patty Hajdu, the Federal Minister of Jobs and Families, referring the airline’s contract negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to final binding interest arbitration.   Under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, and the CIRB’s order, the strike at Air Canada that resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights is effectively over.“The CIRB has directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to resume their duties by 14:00 EDT on August 17, 2025,” said a spokesperson for Air Canada.CUPE, which represents Air Canada flight attendants, reacted angrily to news that Section 107 had been invoked, and the matter had been referred to forced arbitration after less than 12 hours.