Air Canada is finalizing contingency plans to suspend most of its operations as talks with the pilot union are near an impasse, the airline said on Monday.

Talks between Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents more than 5,200 pilots at Canada's largest carrier, are continuing, but both parties remain far apart, the company said.

The airline and its unit Air Canada Rouge are preparing to gradually suspend flights over three days, potentially starting as early as Sept. 15.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)