Air Canada said it will start cancelling flights on Thursday ahead of a possible strike by its flight attendants, which the airline said will allow for an orderly shutdown of Canada's largest airline.

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

Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, has started cancelling flights ahead of a planned nationwide strike of 10,400 flight attendants and cabin crew, after pay talks broke down this week.