Pearson baggage handler trapped in Air Canada cargo hold as it taxied for takeoff

It was a close call for a Toronto Pearson ground crew member who became trapped in the cargo hold of a New Brunswick-bound Air Canada Rouge plane shortly before takeoff.

The plane had already been prepared for takeoff, and began to leave the gate when passengers heard yelling and banging from below.

The aircraft came to a halt after the noise was reported to cabin crew, who, in turn, alerted the pilot.

This is your captain speaking

Video of the pilot’s announcement from the Dec. 13 Moncton-bound flight has gone viral.

“I’ve never had that in my life. First time, hopefully, first and last,” the pilot said to the passengers, who appeared to take it all in stride.

“But that’s the reason we had to go back to the gate and get that person out of the airplane.”

The captain did confirm that the handler was “perfectly fine and safe,” though he admitted the flight would be further delayed to “deal with a bit of paperwork.”

He added: “Again, we do apologize for all the delays today and we’ll get you to Moncton as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.”

The plane eventually returned to the terminal, where the worker was rescued.

“On flight AC1502 on December 13, 2025, the aircraft cargo doors were inadvertently closed while a member of the ground crew was inside,” Air Canada said in a statement to the Toronto Sun.

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

Passenger speaks out

One of the plane’s passengers chronicled the near-tragic events on Reddit.

The person said that after the plane finally “started to push back and taxi out,” it came to a stop.

“After an agonizing wait, the truth was revealed: we had a surprise passenger in the luggage area. Someone from the luggage crew was stuck there (Thankfully, they’re safe!),” they wrote.

The Redditor also included video of the incident on the flight, which had already been plagued by delays, and shared a timeline of the experience.

Flight cancelled after numerous delays

The flight, which was scheduled to depart Toronto at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 13, only began boarding at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Passengers learned about an hour later that “there was someone stuck in luggage hold.”

Shortly before 8:30 p.m., passengers deboarded for a pilot switch-over and were on board again — with new pilots — by about 10 p.m.

At 11 p.m., an hour later, a “mechanical issue” was detected and passengers were forced to disembark once again as they awaited another plane to arrive, according to the Redditor.

A new plane and crew arrived but at 1:15 a.m., they were informed by Air Canada that the flight was cancelled and rebooked for 8 p.m. that night.

“No reason given,” they added.

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