ISTANBUL

Air Canada will begin cancelling its flights on Thursday ahead of flight attendants' potential strike, aiming to ensure an orderly shutdown of operations, the airline announced.

The first cancelled flight will be on Thursday, the airline confirmed, adding that as of Friday, the flight cancellations will increase, leading to a full halt of all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights by the weekend.

The union representing approximately 10,000 flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday.

Unless an agreement is reached or the government steps in, the strike is set to begin on Saturday.

The airline issued a lockout notice to give response to the strike notice.

It also announced that the passengers affected by the flight cancellations because of the strike will be informed and will be entitled to a full refund.

The airline also stated that it has coordinated with other Canadian and international carriers to offer alternative travel options wherever feasible.

"We regret the impact a disruption will have on our customers, our stakeholders and the communities we serve," the CEO of the company, Michael Rousseau, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Air Canada announced that negotiations with the union had reached a standstill, with both sides remaining significantly divided in contract discussions.

The union has highlighted key issues such as what it describes as "poverty wages" for flight attendants and the lack of compensation for time spent working while planes are not in the air.

Meanwhile, Air Canada stated it had proposed a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, along with additional benefits.

"Despite our best efforts, Air Canada refused to address our core issues," the union said on social media.