Air Canada said Wednesday it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown of the country’s largest airline as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants

Air Canada will start suspending flights Thursday and fully halt operations by the weekend due to a looming flight attendant strike.

People flying Air Canada in Saskatchewan could soon see cancellations as a contract dispute between the airline and the union that represents more than 10,000 flight attendants remains at an impasse.