A Delta spokesperson said the payments are a good-faith gesture with no strings attached.
Delta Air Lines is offering US$30,000 to each of the 76 passengers aboard the plane that flipped upside down while landing at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb. 17.
Those hurt in the crash sustained non-critical injuries, according to the airport’s chief executive.
A Delta spokesperson said the payment offer is a good-faith gesture with no strings attached, according to a statement sent to media outlets on Feb. 19. They will be offered to all passengers, not just the injured.
There were 76 passengers and four crew members aboard Flight 4819 when it crashed during landing and overturned at a snowy Toronto-Pearson International Airport just after 2 p.m. EST on Feb. 17.
Communications between the tower and pilot were normal on approach, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation. The airport’s fire chief has said that the runway “was dry and there was no crosswind conditions.”
The flight originated from Minneapolis. There were no fatalities, though 21 people were injured. As of the morning of Feb. 19, one person remained in the hospital, according to an update by the airline.
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The crash left passengers, who were buckled into their seats, dangling upside down, before being helped by the crew to get off the plane.
If all passengers aboard the jet, a Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR, take the offer, the total payout amounts to more than $2.2 million. Some passengers have already retained legal representation to pursue further action.
The airport authority has credited the actions of the flight crew and first responders in saving the passengers.
“The crew of Delta flight 4819 heroically led passengers to safety evacuating a jet that had overturned on the runway, on landing amidst smoke and fire,” Greater Toronto Airports Authority CEO Deborah Flint said on Feb. 18.
The plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered and sent to a lab for further analysis, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which is leading the investigation into the incident.
“Following this initial impact, parts of the aircraft separated and a fire ensued,” Transportation Safety Board of Canada senior investigator Ken Webster said in a Feb. 18 update. “The fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down, facing the other direction.”
The agency has said it’s still unclear what led to the crash.
“At this point, it’s far too early to say what the cause of this accident might be,” Webster said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Delta’s incident response team, and Mitsubishi, the maker of the CRJ900 aircraft (originally made by Bombardier), are also taking part in the investigation.
As of Feb. 19, two of the airport’s five runways remained closed. Crew began removing parts of the wreckage on Feb. 19. The airport authority says once the wreckage is removed, it is expected that delays will persist as authorities inspect the runway to ensure everything is in proper condition.
Jennifer Cowan and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
