Air Canada successfully reached a tentative agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) in the early hours of Sunday, preventing an imminent strike. The agreement comes after 15 months of intense negotiations, with the pilots pushing for wage increases comparable to their U.S. counterparts. The four-year deal, representing more than 5,200 pilots, includes an additional C$1.9 billion ($1.40 billion) in value, a 46% increase from the previous contract.

Air Canada had warned that it would begin canceling flights by mid-September if no agreement was reached, potentially disrupting services for over 110,000 daily passengers. With the new contract in place, the airline can continue operations without interruption. The terms of the deal remain confidential until a ratification vote is completed within the next month.

This agreement, which prevents a significant disruption to Canadian travel, follows similar negotiations across North America, where airline pilots have secured large pay raises amid a travel boom and pilot shortages. Canadian Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon credited the hard work of the parties and federal mediators in preventing the strike.