A plane flies past a sign for Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Montreal on Aug. 25, 2026. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi
An employee at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport (YUL) has died after a plane struck him while it was backing up on the evening of Aug. 24, the airport authority has confirmed.
The ground worker was struck around 7:30 p.m. EDT. Emergency services responded to the scene, and a Montreal police spokesperson said he was rushed to hospital. Officers and crime scene investigators also attended to determine the accident’s cause.
The plane belonging to the low-cost, long-haul Paris-based airline French bee was scheduled to leave for Paris on Monday evening.
In a social media post, the airport authority expressed “profound sadness” over the death of the employee, a signaler, who worked with partner organization Samsic.
“The entire YUL airport community is mourning this loss,” the airport authority said.
Yves Beauchamp, president and CEO of ADM Aéroports de Montréal, also expressed his sympathies in a Aug. 25 news release.
“The loss of a member of our airport community affects us all deeply,” he said. “During this difficult time, our thoughts are with the employee’s family, loved ones and colleagues, to whom we extend our heartfelt sympathy and sincere condolences.”
In an email to The Epoch Times, French bee confirmed that the accident occurred on Aug. 24 at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport during ground operations before the departure of flight BF5761 to Paris-Orly.
“French bee is deeply saddened by this tragic accident, which resulted in the death of a member of the airport operations team, an employee of Samsic,” an airline spokesperson said. “The airline extends its deepest condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones, as well as its support to colleagues and all teams affected by this event.
The exact circumstances of the accident, which occurred during the aircraft pushback operation, are not yet established.
Affected passengers will be re-accommodated Tuesday evening on a French bee flight departing from Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) at 11 p.m. local time to Paris-Orly, the company said. The airline says it has created a dedicated call centre to provide further assistance.
The Epoch Times reached out to Montreal police for comment, and was directed to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
In an email, ESDC said: “The Government of Canada extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of the victim of the fatal incident that occurred at the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport in Montréal, Quebec.”
The Labour Program at ESDC has launched an investigation under the Canada Labour Code into this incident to determine its cause and prevent similar tragedies, the agency said. The investigation will determine if the employer, Samsic Assistance Canada Inc., acted in compliance with its obligations under the Code, which requires federally regulated employers to protect the health and safety of their employees while at work.
ESDC added that the code limits the sharing of any information related to and gathered during an investigation to the workplace parties.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
