Breaking News! Air Canada cancels all flights! Latest updates on China-Canada routes →
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Civil Aviation Resources Network, August 16, 2025: According to foreign media reports, on August 16 local time, more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on a large-scale strike, and all flights were canceled, causing travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers around the world to be disrupted.
Reports indicate that the strike broke out at 1:00 a.m. local time on August 16th. Air Canada will cancel all Air Canada mainline and Air Canada Rouge flights from August 16th to 17th. Approximately 700 flights will be canceled daily. This sudden suspension coincides with the peak summer travel season and is expected to affect approximately 130,000 people daily.
According to the flight status update on Vancouver Airport's official website for August 16th, Air Canada flights from Vancouver to Asian cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo (Narita), and Seoul have been canceled.
Among these China-Canada routes are AC25 Vancouver-Shanghai Pudong, AC29 Vancouver-Beijing Capital, and AC7/8 Vancouver-Hong Kong.
According to the outbound flight status information on the Toronto International Airport website, Air Canada flights from Toronto to Asian city airports such as Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Kansai, and Seoul Incheon have all been cancelled.
Currently, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Hainan Airlines operate direct domestic flights to Canada. Air Canada is the only Canadian airline flying to China. Air Canada's flight cancellations have led to a shortage of direct flights between China and Canada.
For example, according to Ctrip, there are no direct flights between Beijing and Vancouver from August 16th to 20th. Air China flight CA997 was sold out by the 21st, and only one or two tickets remained for the 22nd. Direct flights to Shanghai and Vancouver won't be available until August 24th.
Other airline fares have skyrocketed.
Alex Laroche, a 21-year-old traveler from Montreal, said he considered booking with other airlines, but most flights are nearly full and fares have skyrocketed, more than double the original £1,600. He admitted that he was initially upset about the union strike, but changed his tune after understanding the key issues in the negotiations. The strike is understood to be directly triggered by a stalemate in negotiations over a new contract. Air Canada had requested a government-led arbitration process, allowing a third party to determine the terms of the new contract, but the union rejected this request. The union said this would deprive them of their right to strike. Canadian Federal Employment Minister Patty Hajdu met with Air Canada and union representatives on the evening of the 15th and urged both sides to "work harder to reach an agreement as soon as possible." Union spokesperson Pouliot stated that the union is willing to continue negotiations and has been in communication with a mediator.
It is unclear how long the suspension will last.
It is not yet clear how long the suspension will last, but Air Canada Chief Operating Officer Mark Nasr stated that even if a preliminary agreement is reached, it could take a week for full flights to resume. Affected passengers can apply for a full refund through their official website or app. The airline will also try to provide alternative flights with other Canadian and international airlines. However, due to the peak summer season, flights on other airlines are nearing capacity, and immediate rebooking is not guaranteed.