TORONTO -- Porter Airways says it will be business as usual today despite a planned strike by workers who fuel its planes at Toronto`s Billy Bishop Airport.

The airline says on its website that "all flights are scheduled to operate normally" but also encourages passengers to check flight status.

Twenty-two workers represented by the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union were set to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. today.

The union said talks broke down prior to the deadline after Porter sought a one-day extension after not moving on wage issues.

Health benefits and safety concerns are also considered key issues.

Although Porter says it has other employees to fuel the aircraft, the union expressed concern as to whether they can perform the job properly.

The labour dispute came as the two sides were negotiating a first contract.

That airline said in a statement that it was "disappointed that the union has chosen to walk away from the bargaining table and go on strike ... rather than focus its energy on negotiating a first contract for employees."

Porter flies to about a dozen cities in Eastern Canada and the United States and says it carried 2.45 million passengers last year.