What happened
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau has informed the Board of Directors that he will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026, concluding a tenure of nearly two years. No immediate successor has been named. The airline has commenced an external global search for candidates, noting that French language proficiency will be a performance criterion given the airline's Montreal headquarters. Rousseau's departure follows scrutiny over his lack of French fluency, which became a focal point after the Air Canada Jazz accident at New York LaGuardia. The Board thanked him for steering the company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID, and the acquisition of Aeroplan