Canada’s WestJet cancels 700 flights as strike grows

TORONTO, CANADA – JUNE 30: Travelers line up at a Westjet baggage drop at Toronto Pearson International Airport on June 30, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. Striking WestJet Airlines mechanics have canceled hundreds of flights over a holiday weekend in Canada. The union had said the two sides would meet with a mediator today. Cole Burston/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Cole Burston / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Montreal, Canada – Canadian airline WestJet canceled more than three-quarters of its flights on Sunday, according to data from tracking website FlightAware, as a surprise strike by mechanics continued into a busy holiday weekend.

Since the country’s second-largest airline anticipated a strike on Thursday, around 700 flights have been cancelled. This affects tens of thousands of domestic and international passengers ahead of Canada Day on Monday.

Around 680 mechanics, including those responsible for inspections and repairs that are important for daily operations, called a strike late Friday evening after they were unable to reach an agreement with the Calgary-based airline on salaries and working conditions.

READ: Canada’s WestJet cancels 235 flights due to strike

“Every flight cancellation we have to issue represents hundreds of guests affected by the ongoing reckless actions of this union,” WestJet President Diederik Pen said in a statement on Saturday.

The company estimated that it would have to reduce its fleet from its usual 200 aircraft to 30 operational aircraft by Sunday evening.

The threat of a strike appeared to be averted on Thursday when the Canadian government ordered binding arbitration to settle a contract dispute over wages and working conditions.

However, the mechanics’ union argued that the decision did not prohibit a strike and decided to go ahead with the strike on Friday evening, insisting that “the airline’s unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”

Negotiations lasted late into the night, but were unsuccessful. Both sides wanted to meet again on Sunday.