Airport Employee Dies After Being Hit By Aircraft In Montreal

Credit: Shutterstock Published Aug 25, 2026, 11:12 AM EDT Louis is a military historian and the staff writer for History of War magazine, a leading military history monthly. He also has an interest in private and commercial aviation. Sign in to your Simple Flying account A Samsic Airport-employed traffic controller tragically died at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport(YUL) on Monday evening after being struck by an aircraft. Emergency services received a call to the airport at 7:30 PM. They took the worker to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. Investigations remain ongoing, with investigators remaining at the airport on Monday evening. Responsibility for finding out exactly what happened and the circumstances that led to the accident has been passed on to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). There is still much that remains unknown about this incident. We still don't know the victim's name or age. Delays followed the incident, but regular service resumed shortly after. Preliminary Investigations Suggest The Aircraft Was Reversing Credit: Shutterstock It is still too soon to ascertain exactly what transpired and caused the accident to take place. However, a police spokesperson has given information to the Montreal Gazette. They said that early indications are that the aircraft could have been backing up when it struck the worker. That was all the spokesperson was prepared to reveal about the exact circumstances of the incident. Police have said that they will not be treating the incident as a criminal matter. That's why it has been passed on to ESDC, the organization that deals with federally regulated workplaces and the injuries and incidents that happen within them. However, that does not mean that there is no chance of criminal proceedings being carried out following the civil investigation. Yves Beauchamp, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADM Aéroports de Montréal said: "The loss of a member of our airport community affects us all deeply. 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." The airport authority has confirmed that it is cooperating with investigators. However, it has refused to comment any further at this time. The Aircraft Involved Was Operated By French Bee Credit: Shutterstock Photographs released online show a French bee aircraft at the Montreal Airport. It was seen surrounded by emergency vehicles. The collision occurred minutes before the jet was scheduled to depart for Paris. French Bee is a French low-cost and long-haul airline that is based at Paris Orly Airport (ORY). Operating a fleet of Airbus A350 planes, the carrier flies to a range of worldwide leisure destinations. Its flights from ORY to YUL were inaugurated on April 30, 2025. Outside of France and Canada, French Bee has current services to seven airports, with two set for future inauguration, according to the carrier's 'Our Flights' page: Airport Nation Start date Seasonal YUL Canada April 2025 No Faa'a International Airport (PPT) French Polynesia May 2018 No Roland Garros Airport (RUN) Réunion June 2017 No Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) United States April 2022 No Miami International Airport (MIA) United States December 2022 Yes Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) United States July 2021 No San Francisco International Airport (SFO) United States May 2018 No Velana International Airport (VIA) Maldives December 2026 Yes Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) Sri Lanka December 2026 Yes The Worker Was A Samsic Airports Employee The victim of the incident was working for Samsic when the collision occurred. Samsic says it is a company that helps airlines and airports with "ground handling, passenger services, baggage handling, and assistance for passengers with reduced mobility." It was initially founded in 1986 with a focus on cleaning, although its services have since expanded significantly. Samsic entered the Canadian market in 2020. The firm has been operating at YUL since May 2023. It currently has over 600 onsite employees and deals with 1,600 flights and 19.4 million passengers annually. The services provided by the company to YUL include ramp operations, baggage handling, passenger services, baggage claims and operational coordination. YUL has grown to be one of Samsic's largest operations in North America.