The Canadian government intervened on Saturday to end a strike by Air Canada cabin crew members that saw hundreds of flights cancelled and triggered summer travel chaos for the carrier's 130,000 daily passengers.

Canada's largest airline, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, had stopped all operations after some 10,000 flight attendants began industrial action fuelled by a wage dispute just after midnight on Saturday.

Hours later, Canada's labour policy minister, Patty Hajdu, moved to invoke a legal provision that would halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration.

"This is not a decision that I have taken lightly. The potential for immediate negative impact on Canadians and our economy is simply too great," Hajdu told journalists.

However, she said it could still take five to 10 days for Air Canada to resume regular services after the disruption.

The airline had earlier urged customers not to go to the airport if they have a ticket for Air Canada or its lower-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge.

It said flights by Air Canada Express, which are operated by a third party, would not be impacted by the walkout.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which is representing the workers, said its members would remain on strike until the government formally issues an order that they return to work.

"Please remember there is only a referral, we are still in a legal position to strike and will continue to do so, we must show the company we are in control of this," the union's Air Canada branch wrote on Facebook.

In a separate statement, CUPE slammed the Canadian government's intervention as "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted."

"This sets a terrible precedent," it added. "This will only ensure that the unresolved issues will continue to worsen by kicking them down the road." (AFP)