after being grounded for the past nine days.

The carrier reported yesterday that it reached a tentative agreement with its 2,100 striking pilots on Thursday night.

The contract agreement between Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association now requires ratification by the pilots before operations can resume.

This ratification process is expected to take two to three days as the union conducts a telephone vote of its members across Canada.

Details of the secret ballot will be released at 1 p.m. on Monday. "Once Air Canada pilots have ratified the agreement, the airline will begin phasing in operations within 24 hours. Service would resume to most destinations within three or four days once aircraft are repositioned and crews flown in to operate flights,'' reported the airline.

The full network should be up by Wednesday and the full schedule by Thursday, said Air Canada.

Meanwhile all Air Canada flights scheduled until 2 p.m. on Monday are cancelled.

Reuters reported that both sides were confident that the proposed contract will be ratified. They have also agreed to keep details of the agreement secret for the time being.

Air Canada's planes were grounded on September 1 after contract talks failed over demands by the pilots for higher wages. The pilots felt they were poorer paid than their US counterparts.

The two sides have been at the bargaining table since September 8. The strike is estimated to have already cost the Montreal-based airline $120 million in lost business.

UNIONS UNS