The business community warned against the larger repercussions than a closure of Air Canada would cause, while a work stoppage is looming on Saturday.
“Remove the main national airline is simply brutal, especially at the moment,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of the Independent Company (FCEI).
Air Canada has already started to cancel flights, warning that some 500 flights would be deleted on Friday, while more than 10,000 on -board agents are ready to break out shortly before 1 hour on Saturday if the two parties do not reach an agreement.
The airline and the union reject each other for the impasse.
An interruption would disrupt the trips of companies that seek new customers and trade partners in the context of American customs duties, according to Kelly.
“Many companies are working hard to diversify their markets in Canada or to establish new trade relations abroad and with other business partners, and this could have a very direct impact on these activities,” he added.
Even a brief interruption would have considerable economic consequences, advanced the director general of the Toronto Region Chamber of Commerce, Giles Gherson.
He stressed the importance of the 130,000 passengers who travel daily with Air Canada, as well as freight operations, for the economy.
“A disturbing work stoppage occurs precisely when Canada is urgently seeking to relaunch its economy and strengthen its competitiveness in the face of increasing trade pressures,” he said.
In addition to passenger transport, a potential interruption affects freight shipments. Air Canada has warned that all existing reservations are likely to be delayed or canceled.
The airline has said that it no longer accepts new reservations for various freight divisions, including AC Horses, AS PharmaCair and AC ECOMMERCE, while its AC freshness division still authorizes reservations to several European capitals.
The airline said it sets up a modified cargo flight schedule in order to mitigate certain disturbances. The carrier said that this measure would protect around 20 to 25 % of the usual volumes, but not all the destinations usually served by the network for Air Canada passengers.
Earlier this week, the Canada Chamber of Commerce warned against the effects of an interruption on the transport of goods and air transport, and urged Ottawa to intervene if necessary to avoid prolonged disruption.