Delta Airlines offers ₹26 lakh each to Toronto plane crash passengers, ‘gesture has no strings attached’

Delta Airlines has announced a compensation of approximately $30,000 ( ₹26 lakh) to each passenger involved in the plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb 17. There were no fatalities, and Delta informed 20 of 21 passengers were discharged from hospitals, Reuters reported. 

This payment is part of Delta's commitment to supporting passengers after the incident.

AFP reported that a company spokesman said, "This gesture has no strings attached and does not affect the rights" of passengers.

In the past, airlines have made similar payments, such as the $5,000 provided to passengers on US Airways' "Miracle on the Hudson" flight in 2009 to help replace lost possessions, according to Bloomberg.

A Delta Airlines flight crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, eventually stopping upside down on the runway. There were no fatalities among the 76 passengers and four crew members involved in the accident on Monday at Toronto-Pearson International Airport, though 21 people sustained injuries.

A video showing the Delta Air Lines plane belly up and missing its right wing at Toronto Pearson Airport following the crash that resulted in no fatalities has circulated widely on social media.

On Tuesday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reported that parts of the plane, a Bombardier-made CRJ900, detached upon impact. The fuselage eventually came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down, facing the opposite direction.

HOW DOES A PLANE LAND UPSIDE DOWN?

US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse explained that aircraft are typically designed to land first on the two main landing gears, followed by the nose gear.

"With all the forces at play, if that wing isn't there to support the aircraft, it’s going to flip over," Brickhouse said, according to Reuters. "While this isn't something we often see when structural components fail and can't perform their intended function, the aircraft will respond to the varying forces acting on it."

-With agency inputs