Canadian airline WestJet cancels 235 more flights amid strike

Vancouver, June 30
Canada's second-largest airline, the WestJet Group, has announced an additional 235 flight cancellations due to a strike by its aircraft maintenance engineers.

The new round of flight cancellations is expected to impact about 30,000 more guests, according to the company, following an initial cancellation of 150 flights earlier Saturday that impacted about 20,000 passengers.

A strike by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) led to the flight cancellations. AMFA, representing about 670 WestJet maintenance engineers, began strike action at 4.30 p.m. local time on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

A statement from Diederik Pen, president of WestJet, noted that the company is "seeking every avenue for intervention and working around the clock to maintain a stable network, while we reduce our flying in a safe and controlled manner."

With more than 2,50,000 passengers scheduled to fly during the long weekend, WestJet is seeking immediate intervention from the minister of labour and the Canada Industrial Relations Board, while parking its aircraft in stations across Canada, according to the company.