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.

Air Canada said it had reached an impasse with the union as the two sides remained far apart in contract talks

Air Canada is cancelling flights from Thursday, as the country's largest carrier winds down service ahead of a looming Saturday strike by its more than 10,000 flight attendants.