Air Canada flight returns to gate after man found trapped in cargo hold

Dhaka: An Air Canada Rouge flight from Toronto to Moncton returned to its gate after passengers heard screaming and banging coming from the aircraft’s cargo hold. The incident took place last month but gained widespread attention recently after videos of the incident emerged on social networking platforms.

On December 13, 2025, Air Canada Rouge Flight AC1502, already late for about four and a half hours of schedule, was taxiing for takeoff at Toronto Pearson International Airport when passengers and cabin crew heard knocking and shouting noises.

According to some passengers onboard, the sounds appeared to be coming from within the aircraft’s structure and alarmed those on board. The cabin crew immediately informed the captain, who halted the Airbus A319 and returned the aircraft to its gate as a precautionary measure.

A video later posted on Instagram shows the captain explaining to passengers that a member of the ground crew had accidentally become trapped inside the baggage hold. In a statement, Air Canada confirmed that the cargo hold doors had been “inadvertently closed while a member of the ground crew was inside.”

Ground personnel were able to open the hold shortly after the aircraft returned to the gate, and the trapped individual was released. The captain reassured passengers that the worker was “perfectly fine and safe.” Air Canada later confirmed there were no injuries.

The situation could have had serious consequences if the aircraft had taken off. Even though some cargo holds are pressurized and temperature-controlled, they are not suitable for humans to stay in, as a lack of sufficient oxygen or extreme cold might lead individuals to potentially lose consciousness or develop hypothermia.

Air Canada said the incident was treated as a potential safety issue and that procedures with ground crews have since been reinforced.

For passengers, the disruption did not end there. By the time the aircraft returned to the gate and safety checks were completed, the flight crew had reached their maximum allowable duty hours. Passengers were deboarded at around 8:22 pm. A later attempt to operate the flight was aborted due to a technical issue, and the service ultimately departed the following morning, nearly a full day after its originally scheduled departure.

Aviation experts said such incidents are rare but not impossible at the busiest airports, where tight schedules and human errors often intersect. In this case, passengers' alertness has been credited with preventing a potentially serious outcome.

V