Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated in an interview with “CBS Mornings” that the crew of Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta involved in Monday’s crash in Toronto, was experienced in handling wintry conditions. The incident left 21 people injured. “There is one level of safety at Delta,” Bastian emphasized, noting that all pilots are trained for such scenarios. He described the crash video as “horrifying” but commended the flight crew for their swift evacuation efforts. “This is what we train for,” he added. “We train for this continuously.”
Delta confirmed that only one of the 21 injured passengers remains hospitalized, with all expected to survive. Two runways at Toronto Pearson Airport remain closed due to the wreckage still on-site. Investigators recovered the aircraft’s black boxes for analysis, according to Ken Webster, a senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Webster explained that after the initial impact, parts of the CRJ900 aircraft separated, leading to a fire.
Despite recent high-profile incidents, Bastian reiterated that air travel remains the safest mode of transportation. Webster echoed this, stating it is too early to determine the cause of the crash, as air accidents typically result from multiple factors. The airport had been experiencing high winds and freezing temperatures as it recovered from a major snowstorm over the weekend.
Experts analyzing a separate video of the descent noted that the landing appeared flat, lacking the typical “flare” where pilots adjust the nose upward just before touchdown. Separately, Bastian mentioned speaking with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and expressed no concern over the layoffs of several hundred employees at the Federal Aviation Administration, as they were in “non-critical safety functions.” He also highlighted the Trump administration’s commitment to hiring more air traffic controllers and advancing air traffic technology.
— news from Reuters Canada