Delta offers $30,000 to passengers of Toronto plane crash as investigation unfolds
Delta flight 4819 crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Feb. 17, 2025. John Nelson
Delta Air Lines has announced a $30,000 compensation package for each passenger aboard the flight that crashed upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport this week.
The airline confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that the payment comes with “no strings attached and does not affect passengers’ rights.”
The incident occurred Monday when a Bombardier CRJ-900 jet, departing from Minneapolis, made a hard landing before flipping upside down on the runway.
The crash triggered a fireball and sent thick plumes of black smoke into the sky, but miraculously, all 80 passengers and crew survived. Delta reported that 21 people sustained injuries, though only one remained hospitalized as of Wednesday morning.
Footage of the crash, verified by AFP, shows the aircraft striking the runway forcefully before rolling forward, losing its wings, and coming to rest on its roof. Emergency responders treated passengers for back sprains, head injuries, anxiety, and other ailments.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash, supported by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Delta, and Mitsubishi—the current owner of the CRJ aircraft line.
The Toronto crash is the latest in a troubling series of air disasters across North America. Recent incidents include a deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, killing 67 people, and a fatal medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that claimed seven lives.
