TORONTO – A ten-day effort by Air Canada pilots to negotiate a new agreement with the airline has failed, sending the dispute to federally-legislated arbitration.

“To say we are disappointed would be a vast understatement,” said Captain Jean-Marc Belanger, Chair of the Master Executive Council of the Air Canada Pilots Association. “We did everything possible to reach an agreement, paring down our proposals, addressing the airline’s issues and showing flexibility at the bargaining table.”

Under the protocol governing the negotiations, ACPA will not comment on the reasons that an agreement could not be reached.

The pilots will now prepare a final offer for submission to federal arbitrator Doug Stanley, in compliance with the 90-day process legislated by the federal government.

The Air Canada Pilots Association is the largest professional pilot group in Canada, representing the 3,000 pilots who operate Air Canada’s mainline fleet.