The union representing thousands of striking Air Canada flight attendants says it will risk jail time and fines but will not order its members back to work, despite the federal labour relations board calling the strike illegal.

Air Canada said it will gradually begin restarting its operations after strike action grounded its flights since August 16. It said the first flights are scheduled for Tuesday evening, but that it could take seven to ten days to restore its full service, and that some flights will be cancelled during that period.

Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing more than 10,400 flight attendants, have reached a