The arrivals hall at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport is more than a transit point; it's a theatre of raw human emotion. On any given day, the space echoes with cheers, songs, and the sounds of long-awaited embraces, painting a vivid picture of connection and new beginnings.
A Mother's First Canadian Winter
For Aminata Tandia, 65, her arrival on December 17, 2025, marked a profound life milestone. Having just completed an 11-hour journey from her native Mauritania with a stop in Morocco, she experienced wearing a winter coat for the very first time in her life. She layered a long black parka over her traditional white African robe and head covering, preparing for the Canadian cold waiting outside the terminal doors.
On the other side, her son, Fodiye Marega, 45 of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, waited with a bundle of documents and overwhelming sentiment. Their reunion was a long, warm hug, filled with unspoken words. Marega, who had only returned to Mauritania once since moving away in 2017, helped his mother while making video calls to family, sharing the moment widely.
"I have a lot of emotion right now," Tandia expressed in Solinke, her native language, which her son translated. Marega echoed the feeling, stating, "My emotions are overtaking me right now. I have no words to express how I’m feeling." Tandia plans an initial three-month stay with the goal of permanent relocation, hoping to join Marega and his brother, who have five children between them in Quebec.
Love, Family, and the Human Tapestry of Arrivals
These poignant scenes are a daily occurrence, so much so that airport staff often linger to witness them. Anne-Sophie Hamel, Director of Media Relations for Aéroports de Montréal, notes that airports are inherently emotional spaces. "When we work here, we make it a point to walk in the terminal and see the passengers," Hamel says. "It allows us to see those beautiful scenes of people reconnecting with loved ones."
One such scene featured Habib Moumni, who waited with flowers for his wife, Safa Taamallah, and their six-month-old son, Noah, returning from Tunisia. After a month apart, Moumni carefully undid the baby carrier and cradled his son, tears in his eyes. "We both went on vacation, but I returned a month ago. I missed him a lot, her, too," said Moumni, a mechanic who lives with his family in Victoriaville after a courtship that spanned continents.
Joy took a dancing form when Nzianou Monthe, 60, arrived from Cameroon. She danced through the arrivals door into the arms of her daughter, Carol, meeting her grandchildren, Keylan and Keara (7 and 5), for the first time in three and a half years. "Children are a treasure," she beamed, planning a six-month stay that will also include a visit to her son in Calgary.
The Flip Side: Heartbreak and Unmet Expectations
However, the airport's narrative isn't solely written in joy. Staff at the information booth near the ground transportation exit have witnessed dramatic and disappointing moments. One employee named Samiha recalled a volatile scene where a wife, waiting for a husband supposedly on a business trip, confronted him arriving with another woman from Cuba. "She just beat the husband up in front of everybody. We had to call security," Samiha recounted.
Her colleague, Amelia, has seen the fallout of online romance scams, where individuals arrive to meet a lover who never appears, holding tickets for non-existent flights. Amidst these tales of heartache, there are also sweeter moments, like marriage proposals with balloons and flowers.
Despite the occasional chaos, the overwhelming atmosphere is one of celebration. Samiha perfectly captures the essence: "People will run up and jump into each others' arms; we see cheering, and we see singing: people wearing African attire, bright colours and they’re dancing. It’s beautiful." For every story of logistical stress, there are countless more of the longest hugs and the most joyous reunions, making Trudeau airport a unique portal where life's most significant moments publicly unfold.
