Delta Air Lines compensates Toronto crash passengers with $30,000 each

Photo : AFP

Washington, United States: US airline Delta Air Lines said it would pay $30,000 each to all the passengers on board a plane which crashed while making a landing at Toronto's largest airport earlier this week. The airline confirmed it to AFP on Wednesday, and said the compensation is a goodwill gesture and in no way impacted the passengers' rights to take any additional legal action.

The accident occurred on Monday when a Delta Air Lines plane from Minneapolis, Minnesota, tried to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The plane hit the runway hard when it touched down, resulting in it rolling over upside down.

Dramatic and shocking pictures and videos uploaded on social media witnessed the plane, a Bombardier CRJ-900, sliding along the runway with the wings torn off. Thickest black smoke and flames could be seen billowing out of the plane as it finally stalled on its roof. In a miraculous escape, no one among the 80 on board passengers lost their lives.

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Nonetheless, Delta confirmed that 21 passengers were injured, with one passenger still hospitalized through Wednesday morning. Emergency medical personnel on the scene treated the passengers for injuries including back sprains, head trauma, and shock. Some passengers also complained of severe anxiety and headaches after the harrowing crash.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation to find the reason behind the crash. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Delta Air Lines, and Mitsubishi— the firm that bought the CRJ aircraft line from Bombardier in 2019—are supporting the investigation.

This Toronto plane crash is just one in a recent series of aviation crashes that have been taking place in North America. Most recently, a US Army helicopter crashed into an air passenger plane mid-air in Washington, claiming 67 lives. A medical transport aircraft also crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven individuals.

Delta’s decision to compensate passengers is seen as a significant step in taking responsibility for the incident. The airline has also assured passengers that their safety remains its top priority and that it will fully cooperate with authorities to prevent similar accidents in the future.