A union representing WestJet's pilots reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian airline late on Thursday, averting a strike set to begin as early as Friday that would have led to travel disruptions during the Victoria Day holiday weekend.

The agreement will need to be ratified by pilots, which will begin in the coming days, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said in a statement, but did not mention details about the new contract.

WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment outside regular business hours.

"This contract will also help solve many of WestJet's pilot attraction and retention issues," said Bernard Lewall, chair of the WestJet ALPA Master Executive Council.

Pilots at major North American airlines are pressing for higher salaries and better scheduling after a recent deal at Delta Air Lines that delivered a 34% pay increase over four years.

Investment firm Onex Corp took WestJet private in 2019 in a deal valued at about $5 billion, including debt. (Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)