Air Canada has canceled hundreds of flights — many of them international flights — as a potential strike by flight attendants looms.

Air Canada began canceling flights Thursday ahead of a possible strike by its flight attendants that could impact hundreds of thousands of travelers. A complete shutdown of the country's largest airline threatens to impact about 130,000 people a day.

Air Canada's flight attendants were poised to strike on Saturday as the carrier cancelled hundreds of flights impacting more than 100,000 passengers ahead of a threatened work stoppage that could shut down service.