Air Canada said Monday that President and CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026, capping nearly two decades with the company.
The announcement comes the same month as a fatal crash involving an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
In its statement, Air Canada framed the move as part of a long-running succession process, saying internal development work had been underway for more than two years and that an external search began in January 2026.
“On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to Air Canada as he progressed from Chief Financial Officer to Deputy CEO and then to CEO and Board member,” Chair of the Board of Directors Vagn Sørensen said in a statement Monday.
“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,” Sørensen said. “Our upcoming AGM will allow us to further recognize his achievements, which include a legacy of financial strength.”
Canada’s largest airline, based in Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he would leave by the end of the third quarter.
Air Canada shares fell more than 2% on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Days before the announcement, Rousseau faced sharp criticism over an English video condolence message following the fatal LaGuardia Airport crash.
Canada is an officially bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said the message showed a lack of compassion and judgment, while Quebec officials and others called for Rousseau to resign.
Rousseau’s four-minute condolence video posted online included only two French words — “bonjour” and “merci.”
“I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days,” Rousseau said in a statement. “Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French. I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.”
Language remains a sensitive issue in mostly French-speaking Quebec, the country’s second-most-populous province, where unhappiness over the dominance of English helped the rise of the separatist Parti Québécois in the 1970s.
While Air Canada is a publicly traded company, it is required to provide services in both English and French under the Official Languages Act, which guarantees the public’s right to communicate with the company in either language.
Quebec’s provincial legislature last week adopted a non-binding motion calling on Rousseau to quit over what lawmakers called his lack of respect for the French language.
An election for the Quebec legislature will be held by October and polls indicate the Parti Québécois, which wants to break away from Canada, will win most seats.
In 2021, Rousseau apologized and pledged to improve his French after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized him for giving a speech almost entirely in English in Montreal, where the airline is headquartered. Quebec Premier François Legault noted that when Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French.
Rousseau took over as CEO at Canada’s largest airline in February 2021 and helped Air Canada recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, while apologizing at the time for his poor French. He also faced criticism for his handling of a four-day strike by flight attendants last year.
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon issued a short statement thanking Rousseau for his contributions to Air Canada, adding that the government would make sure the airline offered a bilingual service.
Air Canada’s board will now consider possible successors and says French-language ability will be among the criteria.
Reuters contributed to this report.
