Air Canada flight forced to turn back after trapped staff member heard shouting from luggage hold

An Air Canada flight was forced to return to the gate when passengers heard a airport ground handler shouting for help after getting stuck in the luggage hold.

Flight AC1502 was almost ready to take off from Toronto to Moncton on 13 December, but turned back after passengers told cabin crew they could hear loud banging and shouting from the floor beneath them.

The Air Canada Rouge, a low-cost subsidiary of Air Canada, plane was taxiing when the passengers at the back of the plane heard the strange noises, passenger Gabrielle Caron told CBC.

She said that one person even called 911 after hearing the loud noises from below their seats.

“The flight attendants were running back and forth,” Ms Caron recalled after the noises were reported. “On the ground, we could see the crew gathering around the plane.”

A video posted on X that claims to be taken on the plane captured the pilot announcing to passengers that takeoff for the hour-and-a-half long flight would be delayed.

“I’ve never had that in my life. First time, hopefully, first and last,” the pilot said to the passengers in the video.

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

The captain confirmed that the handler was “perfectly fine and safe”, though he added there would be a further delay to “deal with a bit of paperwork”.

“Again, we do apologise for all the delays today, and we’ll get you to Moncton as soon as we can,” he said. “Thank you for your patience.”

The plane taxiied back to the terminal, and the crew member was rescued from the cargo hold.

Air Canada confirmed the incident in a statement to The Independent: “On flight AC1502 on December 13, 2025, the aircraft cargo doors were inadvertently closed while a member of the ground crew was inside.

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

The airline added to CBC that an investigation is under way as to how the ground handler found themselves locked in the cargo hold.

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