TORONTO: Air Canada’s flight attendants went on strike Saturday, a work stoppage the airline has said will shut down service and create summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers. “We are now officially on strike,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants, said in a statement. Air Canada, which transports about 130,000 passengers daily, had said it would gradually wind down operations ahead of the possible strike. As of 8:00 p.m. Friday, the airline said it had canceled 623 flights affecting more than 100,000 passengers.

The union representing 10,000 flight attendants for Canada's largest airline issued issued a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday.

Air Canada has canceled most of its flights over the next few days to prepare for a strike by flight attendants. Some travelers may end up stranded as a result.