World’s Largest Pilot Union Now Represents More Than 95% of Canada’s Professional Airline Pilots
12 August 2025
OTTAWA, ONT.—The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) certified the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) as the bargaining agent for more than 800 pilots at Porter Airlines. With this milestone, Porter’s pilots become the 43rd pilot group to join ALPA, and the 22nd in Canada, further strengthening the unified voice of professional airline pilots.
“We are proud to welcome the pilots of Porter Airlines to ALPA and expand the strength and power of our international union,” said ALPA president, Captain Jason Ambrosi. “We are always stronger together, and bringing our brothers and sisters at Porter into ALPA will not only improve their ability to negotiate good contracts but also ensure that safety and workers’ rights remain front and center.”
Porter’s pilot group has grown significantly in the last five years and operates the Embraer E195-E2 and the De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. This rapid expansion has made Porter the fourth-largest pilot group in Canada. Until today’s certification of ALPA as the bargaining agent for the Porter pilots, Porter was the largest non-unionized carrier in the country.
“With the addition of the Porter pilots, more than 13,500 pilots, representing 95% of Canada’s professional pilots, are now represented by ALPA,” said Captain Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president. “Porter pilots are instrumental to the airline’s considerable success. Our immediate priority is to help Porter pilots negotiate a fair collective agreement that recognizes their significant contributions to the airline. Porter pilots are entering a new chapter, and we stand with them as they build a strong and bright future within our industry.”
In recent years, ALPA has recently welcomed thousands of pilots from numerous other Canadian carriers, including Air Borealis, Air Canada, Air Inuit, Cargojet, Flair, Keewatin Air, Morningstar Air Express, PAL Airlines, PAL Aerospace, Pascan Aviation, and Perimeter Aviation.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 79,000 pilots at 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org