Air Canada CEO stepping down amid language scandal

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will go into early retirement after facing heavy backlash for his speech on the fatal Air Canada Express crash that took the lives of two Canadian pilots at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther were killed when the Bombardier CRJ-900 plane they were piloting from Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport crashed into a fire truck after being given clearance to land on one of the LaGuardia runways. The remaining 43 passengers and crew members survived and were taken to the hospital with injuries of varying degrees of severity.A day after the crash, Rousseau posted a four-minute video on X (the former Twitter), in which he called the accident "a very dark day for Canada" and expressed his condolences to the families of the pilots. But as the speech was delivered entirely in English, it caused an immediate outcry, given that French is Canada's national language and Forest's family members are native French speakers from Québec.Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to retire by the fall of 2026Rousseau had been embroiled in several language scandals since he started his role as Air Canada's CEO in February 2021. He attributed his failure to learn the language to being busy running the airline. He was able to emerge from these incidents in past years, but the devastating nature of the recent crash immediately sparked greater outrage and accusations of insensitivity.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Rousseau showed a "lack of judgment" and a "lack of compassion." Related: Air Canada CEO faces growing calls to resignQuébec Premier François Legault and Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet both publicly called for his resignation.On March 26, Rousseau issued a public apology stating that he was "deeply saddened" that his "inability to speak French" turned into a distraction from the families' mourning.Canadian national broadcaster CBC reported that Rousseau's speech prompted more than 2,000 complaints to Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages in the week following the crash. Antoine Forest was one of the two Air Canada pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport.Facebook "His decision is consistent with the Board's longstanding focus": Air CanadaOn March 30, Air Canada released a statement indicating that Rousseau has "reached a natural retirement age [he is 68 years old]" and would step down before the end of 2026 as the airline seeks his successor."His decision is consistent with the Board’s longstanding focus on CEO executive succession planning," the short statement concluded.More Travel News:Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.Here is where you should go for those last days of ski seasonUnexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026U.S. government issues strange warning on Ireland travelAn internal memo sent to Air Canada staff also said Rousseau was proud of what he accomplished at the airline but needed to step down.Rousseau joined Air Canada in 2007 as chief financial officer and, after rising up through various leadership positions, was promoted to president and chief executive of the national airline in 2021.Upon the announcement of Rousseau's departure, Air Canada shares plunged nearly 4% to $12.45 USD. As all major airlines, Air Canada has had a tumultuous year driven by travel patterns influenced by political instability and rising gas costs.Shares are down nearly 14% since the start of 2026.Related: Pilot killed in LaGuardia plane crash identified by family