The Delta flight crew on board the jet that crash-landed and flipped over in Toronto was experienced and trained for such ordeals, the airline’s CEO said Wednesday — as he poured cold water on fears about mass Federal Aviation Agency layoffs under President Trump.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian praised the actions of the flight crew who quickly evacuated the plane when it crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, insisting they were familiar with wintry conditions there.
“All these pilots train for these conditions,” Bastian told “CBS Mornings,” adding that “there is one level of safety at Delta.”
Bastian described footage of the incident as “horrifying” after clips showed the passenger jet landing so hard that its right wing was sheared off as it skidded down the snow-covered runway.
The jet, which was en route from Minneapolis, then burst into flames before flipping over.
“This is what we train for,” Bastian insisted. “We train for this continuously.”
Miraculously, all 80 people on board the flight survived.
Investigators are currently probing whether weather conditions, human error or an aircraft malfunction could be to blame for the plane saga.
At the time, the airport had been dealing with high winds and frigid temperatures following a major weekend snowstorm.
Bastian, meanwhile, said he had already spoken to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and wasn’t concerned by the recent layoffs of several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees — arguing they were in “non-critical safety functions.”
He added that the Trump administration was committed to boosting air traffic controller hiring and improving air traffic technology.
Bastian went on to say that despite several recent high-profile incidents, air travel remained safe.
“It is the safest form of transportation, period,” Bastian said.
His remarks came after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ripped Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for suggesting that Trump’s FAA layoffs were partly to blame for the disastrous landing.
“It’s incredibly irresponsible for Chuck Schumer to say such a thing when the investigation is still underway,” the press sec told Fox News’ “America Reports” late Tuesday.
“This crash unfortunately took place in Canadian airspace with Canadian air-traffic controllers overseeing it,” she said.
Schumer, on his part, had fired off a slew of tweets referencing the FAA cuts as he reacted to news of the Delta plane crash, saying the mass layoffs were “making our skies less and less safe.”
With Post wires
