The end of the strike is playing yo-yo games at Air Canada. In a first announcement, the Canadian national carrier declared on August 17 in the morning to resume its flights in the coming evening. The return to normalcy followed an order from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to resume airline operations. All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants had to resume their duties by 14:00 EDT on August 17, 2025.
However, in the afternoon, Air Canada indicated to have also suspended its plan to resume limited flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge today. The airline explained that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy the direction from the CIRB to return to work. The airline will resume flights as of tomorrow evening.
Approximately 240 flights were scheduled to operate beginning in the afternoon of August 17. A small number to compare to the 700 flights that the carriers normally operate. Once flights have restarted, Air Canada expects it will take several days before its operations return to normal. During this process, some flights will be canceled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized.
