Air Canada CEO retiring after English condolence controversy

Air Canada’s CEO has announced his retirement about a week after delivering a video condolence message with only French subtitles for the victims of a plane crash in New York.

Michael Rousseau will step down by the third quarter of 2026, according to a statement from the company’s board of directors. Until then, Rousseau will continue leading the company.

After nearly two decades at the helm, the chair of the board thanked Rousseau for nearly two decades at the helm of the company.

We are grateful for the determined leadership he has provided not only in steering our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID and other challenges, but also in capturing opportunities such as the acquisition of Aeroplan, in restoring the solvency of our pension plans and in advancing customer centricity and employee well-being priorities,” wrote Vagn Sørensen, board chair, in a news release.

On March 22, a Jazz Aviation flight left a Montreal airport with 72 passengers on board. But as it attempted to land at LaGuardia airport in New York, it collided with a fire truck, killing both pilots of the plane.

The CEO of Air Canada posted a video to social media on March 23, expressing his condolences for the victims, but it was only in English, with French subtitles.

The federal Committee of Official Languages received hundreds of complaints about the incident and summoned him to Ottawa to explain the message.

Prime Minister Mark Carney also criticized the speech, saying that Canada is a bilingual country, and delivering it only in French lacked compassion.

In a statement last week, Rousseau apologized, saying he wished his inability to speak French did not distract from the victims.

On Monday, Rousseau said he looks forward to supporting the company as they transition to a new leader.

“It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organization,” Rousseau wrote in a statement.