Air Canada CEO Resigns Amid Bilingual Backlash

0:00This has been Europe News Today, Powered by AI. I'm Kory with the story. Air Canada CEO, Michael Russo, just announced he's retiring by the end of the third quarter this year. It comes right after a heavy backlash for sending an English-only condolence message following a deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport this month. The incident involved an air-Canada Jazz flight from Montreal that collided with a fire truck on the runway moments after landing. Sadly, it killed the two pilots, including Antoine Forrest, a French-speaking pilot from Quebec. Canada's officially bilingual and folks were quick to call out the message as insensitive, especially since the airlines headquartered in French-speaking Montreal. Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed it as a lack of compassion and poor judgment while Quebec premiered Francois Lago and others demanded Russo. Step down. Russo had faced similar heat before, for not speaking French, even promising to learn it back when he got the top job in February 2021.

1:03Now, Transport Minister Stephen McKinnon thanked him publicly and stressed the government will keep pushing air Canada for safe, reliable, and fully. Bilingual service. With this chapter closing, eyes are on how the airline handles its leadership shift and honors that bilingual commitment moving forward.