Air Canada crew member locked in cargo hold during taxi

Air Canada says it has reinforced its ground‑handling procedures after a baggage crew member became trapped inside the cargo hold of a departing aircraft, forcing the plane to return to the gate in mid‑taxi.

The incident occurred on Dec. 13, 2025, aboard Flight AC1502, which was scheduled to depart from Toronto Pearson International Airport for Moncton, N.B.

According to the airline, the aircraft’s cargo doors were “inadvertently closed while a member of the ground crew was inside.”

Air Canada confirmed to CityNews that the crew member was discovered only after the aircraft had already begun taxiing. The plane immediately returned to the gate, and no injuries were reported.

“Upon discovery, the aircraft returned to the gate,” the airline said in a statement. “There were no injuries, but as this presented a potential safety issue, we have reinforced our procedures with our ground crews.”

Passenger video surfaces weeks later

A video posted to Instagram on Jan. 3, 2026, appears to show the moment passengers realized something was wrong. In the clip, the aircraft is stationary on the tarmac as crew members gather near the cargo area.

The passenger who uploaded the video wrote that travellers were told the delay was “out of the airline’s control,” but later learned a baggage handler had been trapped beneath the aircraft.

“We had already started taxiing when a baggage crew member was under the aircraft in the cargo and could be heard yelling for help and banging underneath us,” the caption reads. “Thankfully, he got out safely. I still can’t believe this happened.”

The poster added that the flight never made it to Moncton, N.B., that day.

“I’ve never had that happen in my life. Hopefully it’s the first and last,” the Air Canada pilot can be heard telling passengers of Flight AC1502. “The good news is that the person is perfectly fine and safe.”

Air Canada did not say how long the employee was inside the hold or how the error occurred.