Air Canada said it will start cancelling flights on Thursday ahead of a possible strike by its flight attendants, which the airline said will allow for an orderly shutdown of Canada's largest airline.

The union representing 10,000 flight attendants for Canada's largest airline issued issued a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday.

Air Canada is preparing to lock out its flight attendants who voted to go on strike this weekend. Travel disruptions could start Thursday and could continue until a deal is reached.