A strike by federal civil service employees could mean that passengers who have filed complaints with the country's airline regulator may face longer processing times.

The backlog of complaints about issues ranging from lost luggage to compensation for canceled flights now stands at nearly 45,000, with an average processing time of 18 months per case, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

This is more than three times what it was a year ago after travel chaos erupted during the summer and winter holidays due to high demand, labor shortages, and bad weather.

The agency also said in an email that it will continue to receive complaints "but processing will be delayed due to the labor situation affecting the administrative support necessary to perform these tasks."

For its part, Vincent Turgeon, the agency's spokesperson, said about 154 of the agency's 327 employees are on strike. Of these, 71 work directly on processing air traveler complaints.

The agency said in a separate online post that regulatory activities such as issuing air licenses as well as rulings on air, rail, and marine issues will continue "with possible delays."

In the same context, Gabor Lukacs, head of the Air Travelers' Rights Advocacy Group, said the number of complaints is now so high that even a strike lasting several weeks will barely register for most Canadians waiting for their issues to be resolved.

Last month, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra pledged to provide $75.9 million over three years to reduce the backlog of complaints by hiring 200 additional employees.

He also promised to tighten passenger rights rules, following a January commitment to legislation introduced in the House of Commons on Thursday.

The agency said on Friday it had hired 100 additional employees since the funding announcement on March 14, including workers whose contracts were extended due to the additional funds.