Cancun, Q.R. — Air Canada flights into Cancun, Cozumel and Tulum International airports have been canceled in anticipation of a strike. On Friday, the Cancun airport managing company Aeropuertos del Sureste (ASUR) reported on the start of the flight cancellations.
According to ASUR, on Thursday, at least six Air Canada flights were affected. Air Canada operations have been halted due to a planned strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants.
The airline began canceling flights Thursday in anticipation of the flight attendant strike. The company said they would gradually suspend operations over the course of three days, leading to “a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge” for Saturday.
The move came after more than 300 of its unionized flight attendants voted earlier this week to strike. During a press conference Thursday, the airline warned that even if the company reaches a union deal quickly it could take up to a week for flights to fully restart.
It is anticipated that approximately 130,000 travelers a day will be affected by the strike that has lead to a shutdown of Canada’s largest airline. On Friday alone, Air Canada announced the cancellation of 294 flights affecting 55,726 travelers.
Air Canada Chief Operations Officer Mark Nasr, said the airline has begun a gradual suspension of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations that will be completely paused by Saturday morning.
“All flights will be paused by Saturday early morning,” he said adding that “by the time we get to 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, we will be completely grounded.”
On Tuesday, the airline announced an impasse between the two sides while discussing more pay to flight attendants.
As of Friday, more than 2,100 passengers were affected by the cancellation of 14 flights into Cancun International. That number is expected to increase now that the airline has announced a complete shutdown.
Air Canada offers flights into Tulum, Cozumel and Cancun from Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg, while Air Canada Rogue flies from Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa and Quebec City.
