Air Canada announced Sunday that it had reached an agreement with its pilots, avoiding a strike that would have grounded most of its planes.
The deal was made public just minutes after a key deadline passed that would have led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights over the next few days.
The group announced in a press release that it had reached an agreement in principle on “a provisional four-year collective agreement” with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents more than 5,200 Air Canada pilots and with which it has been negotiating for 15 months.
On Thursday, groups representing more than 200,000 businesses across Canada called on the government to intervene to prevent the work stoppage, which they say could impact the economy.
The agreement “recognizes contributions and professionalism,” Air Canada said Sunday, without providing details on the precise terms of the agreement.
As the airline’s pilots sought to close the pay gap with their American counterparts, the union said the “preliminary agreement will soon be submitted to the membership for ratification.”
“If ratified,” it “will generate additional value of approximately C$1.9 billion (US$1.4 billion) for Air Canada pilots” over the period concerned.
“It has been an exceptionally long road to reach this agreement,” said First Officer Charlene Huy, Chair of the Air Canada ALPA Senior Executive Council (SEC), praising the pilots’ “constant mobilization and united determination.”
Besides compensation, she also reported progress on retirement and work rules.
Air Canada serves 47 countries and carries an average of 110,000 passengers per day on its 670 flights.
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