A total of $2.3 million (about 3.3 billion KRW) to be paid
"No conditions for receiving... No impact on other rights"
An American Delta Air Lines passenger plane landing in Canada suddenly flipped over, and the airline has reportedly offered passengers a large compensation amount.
On the 17th (local time), at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, a U.S. aircraft landed upside down, and passengers are evacuating. Photo by Yonhap News via Reuters
According to NBC on the 20th (local time), Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 (about 43 million KRW) per affected passenger as compensation. If all passengers accept this offer, the total amount Delta Air Lines would have to pay would reach approximately $2.3 million (about 3.3 billion KRW). Delta Air Lines explained, "There are no conditions attached to receiving the compensation," and "It does not affect passengers' other rights."
Earlier, a Delta Air Lines subsidiary Endeavor Air passenger plane (Flight 4819) departed from Minneapolis, USA, and while landing on the runway at Toronto Airport in Canada on the 17th, its right wing struck the runway. This caused the aircraft to overturn, and the impact led to an explosion. Immediately after the accident, fire trucks sprayed water on the overturned passenger plane to extinguish the fire. The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, but weather conditions are suspected to have played a role. According to the Canadian Meteorological Agency, at the time, the airport was experiencing a strong snowstorm with winds blowing at 51 km/h (32 mph), and gusts reaching up to 65 km/h (40 mph).
On the 17th (local time), passengers are evacuating from an overturned passenger plane at Toronto Airport. Photo by CNN
The passenger plane had 76 passengers and 4 crew members, totaling 80 people, of whom 21 were injured but all successfully evacuated and survived. Graham Braceweight, head of the aviation department at Cranfield University in the UK, said, "The fact that there were no fatalities despite the aircraft flipping upside down tells us a lot about how the aircraft was designed, how the rescue teams responded, and the roles the crew played." He explained, "The fact that the seats did not detach from the floor, the seat belts were made sturdy, and the surfaces were softened to prevent severe injuries when passengers hit the seat in front of them all help reduce risks in such overturn accidents."
Deborah Flint, CEO of Toronto Pearson Airport, also said, "The absence of casualties is thanks to the heroic and well-trained professionals and rescue teams at the airport," adding, "The airport's emergency responders arrived at the scene within minutes and quickly evacuated the passengers." She continued, "Looking at the photos from the scene, it seems like something else might have happened, but the fortunate outcome shows that everyone made tremendous efforts."
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