By Allison Lampert and Aishwarya Nair

MONTREAL, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The major pilots union in North America and the union representing Air Canada pilots have had initial talks about a merger at a time when airlines are under pressure to staff up to meet rebounding travel demand, representatives of the unions told Reuters.

The Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) represents about 4,500 pilots who fly passengers and cargo for the airline. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the world's largest pilots union, represents more than 60,000 pilots in the United States and Canada.

A merger of the unions could give the ACPA access to additional bargaining resources as members press to make gains in future bargaining after a pandemic-induced slump in travel.

“ALPA and ACPA pilot leaders met this week for an initial discussion about a potential merger and the benefits of being stronger together," the unions said in a statement to Reuters.

"Any decision on whether to formalize a partnership would ultimately rest with the pilots and their elected leaders at each union," the statement said. (Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru. Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)