Air Canada announced that it has made “the difficult decision” to trim its management ranks by 400 employees, two months after its flight attendants walked out in a national strike.
“Following an extensive review, we made the difficult decision to reduce some non-unionized management positions, affecting one per cent of our total staff,” spokeswoman Angela Mah said in an email.
The cuts will not affect day-to-day operations at the country’s biggest airline, she said.
The airline, which is set to present its third-quarter financial results on Nov. 5, has lowered its guidance for the year after taking a hit from the flight attendants’ strike, estimating the cost of the labour disruption at $375 million, including refunds, customer compensation and lower travel bookings.
On Thursday, Air Canada announced it will service flights to four U.S. destinations — New York, Chicago, Boston, and Washington — from Toronto’s downtown Billy Bishop Airport starting in spring 2026. The airline also plans to increase offerings to its two existing Canadian destinations, Montreal and Ottawa.
Air Canada sought to portray this week’s job cuts as part of routine streamlining.
“As a global company, Air Canada regularly reviews its resources and processes to ensure they are optimized to efficiently support business operations and its customers,” Mah said.
With files from Canadian Press
