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Michael Rousseau faced calls to resign for his English-only message after the fatal Air Canada collision at LaGuardia airport.
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Michael Rousseau informed the airline that he will be stepping down by the end of the company's third quarter, Air Canada said in a statement on Monday.
Rousseau had faced calls to resign after delivering his condolences in English only. One of the pilots who died, Antoine Forest, was from French-speaking Quebec.
He later apologised and said he was unable to express himself "adequately" in French - an official language in Canada - despite taking lessons over the years.
Announcing his retirement, Rousseau said: "It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organisation.
"I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period."
In the same statement, Air Canada said Rousseau was stepping down "after nearly two decades of strong and dedicated leadership" with the airline, which is headquartered in Montreal.
Rousseau's English-only condolence video was criticised by Canadian politicians, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said it showed "a lack of compassion".
Quebec Premier François Legault said he believed Rousseau should step down if he was unable to speak French.
Watch: Air Canada message lacks "judgement" and "compassion", says Mark CarneyThe condolence video was released after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia airport in New York shortly after landing, killing Forest and another pilot, Mackenzie Gunther.
Rousseau expressed "deepest sorrow for everyone affected" in the video, which was posted on X and included both English and French subtitles.
He was quickly criticised afterwards for failing to speak French in it and was summoned to Ottawa by Canada's parliamentary committee on Official Languages to &quo
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