Photo: The Canadian Press
Unifor president Jerry Dias

OTTAWA — Unifor president Jerry Dias says Air Canada continues to promise refunds for passengers whose flights were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline has made the pledge repeatedly during negotiations with the federal government over an aid package for the battered sector, said Dias, who noted talks are ongoing.

“I spoke to the (former) CEO of Air Canada last night. So I know that this commitment has been made for quite a while,” he said, referring to Calin Rovinescu, who stepped down Feb. 15.

Air Canada said that discussions are ongoing, but no deal has been reached.

“The government is in discussions with air carriers on potential additional financial assistance,” said Jessica Eritou, a spokeswoman for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Rovinescu said in November that Air Canada would not hesitate to reimburse customers stuck with unused tickets if the conditions of a federal bailout were reasonable.

After a halting start nearly four months ago, talks ramped up over the past month, reaching a pace that he called a negotiation. Any deal would include a resolution on passenger refunds, a plan for returning service to regional markets and financial support for the aerospace sector, Rovinescu said last month.

Air Canada says there are no updates since then, with no agreement yet in place.

Dias said only about 4,000 of the union’s 15,000 aviation workers remain fully employed a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, lending urgency to discussions in Ottawa.

“We can’t get more urgent than now,” he said.