'Screams' heard after Air Canada worker trapped in cargo hold at Toronto airport

Passengers on board an Air Canada flight out of Toronto Pearson Airport faced an unusual delay last month after a baggage handler was accidentally locked inside the aircraft's cargo hold shortly before takeoff. 

The incident occurred on Dec. 13 on flight AC1502, which was scheduled to depart from Toronto to Moncton, New Brunswick. 

According to social media posts from passengers, the situation came to light after some people onboard began hearing "banging and screaming" from below the cabin. 

A Reddit user who claimed to be aboard the Moncton-bound flight described the scene, saying the flight was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but didn't begin boarding until 6:30 p.m. At around 7:30 p.m., the passenger says the pilot informed them that someone had been trapped in the aircraft's cargo hold. 

Air Canada crew stuck in cargo
byu/GabiCaron inaircanada

"You can't make this up. We were finally pushing back after multiple delays and had just started to push back and taxi out when the pilot stopped the plane. Cue the nervous chatter," the passenger wrote. 

"After an agonizing wait, the truth was revealed: we had a surprise passenger in the luggage area. Someone from the luggage crew was stuck there (Thankfully, they're safe!)." Another person who claimed to be on the flight wrote that the crew member was "banging and screaming below." 

A video shared on Instagram captures the moment the onboard announcement was made, confirming the presence of someone in the cargo area. 

In a statement to blogTO, Air Canada confirmed that the aircraft cargo doors "were inadvertently closed while a member of the ground crew was inside."

Upon discovery, the spokesperson stated that the aircraft was returned to the gate and that the worker sustained no injuries during the incident. 

"As this presented a potential safety issue, we have reinforced our procedures with our ground crews."