More WestJet flights cancelled as airline says resumption of operations to ‘take time’

WestJet passengers faced more flight disruptions Tuesday despite a deal reached over the weekend to end a strike by its mechanics, as the airline says full resumption of operations “will take time.” The airline said it cancelled 75 flights scheduled for Tuesday and expected eight more cancellations on Wednesday. That was on top of 104 delays Tuesday according to tracking service FlightAware. WestJet said it scrubbed 1,051 flights between Thursday and Monday. Some 680 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association had walked off the job on Friday evening despite a directive for binding arbitration from federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan. The tentative agreement was announced late Sunday night, but the strike had already disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend. WestJet said in a statement Monday that “further cancellations will be required over the coming days.” It noted the following day that it had “taken significant strides” to resume normal operations, with 125 of WestJet’s 180 fleet active across the airline’s network. The Calgary-based airline said part of the challenge it faces is that its aircraft are parked at 13 airports across Canada, and in several cases, the crews need to be transported to the aircraft for retrieval.<br/>