Air Canada is to resume flights after reaching a ¡°mediated¡± settlement with the union representing 10,000 of its cabin crew.

The North American airline¡¯s services have been grounded since Saturday (16 August) after the CUPE union called the strike in an ongoing dispute over pay.

But a settlement was announced on Tuesday (19 August) following discussions between the two parties led by a mediator.

In a statement, the airline said that Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights would resume on Tuesday evening with a ¡°gradual ramp up over the coming days¡±.

¡°While the restart of our operations will begin immediately, we expect it will take several days before our operations return to normal,¡± said the airline in an update to passengers. ¡°Please do not head to the airport unless you have a confirmed itinerary.¡±

Air Canada also warned that some flights will be cancelled over the next seven to 10 days until the schedule is ¡°stabilised¡±.

Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada, added: ¡°The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologise for the impact on them of this labour disruption.

¡°Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking.¡±

CUPE confirmed that a ¡°tentative agreement¡± had been reached with the airline but it will have to be approved in a vote by union members to end the dispute.