When Delta CEO Ed Bastian first heard that a plane carrying 80 passengers crashed and flipped over in Toronto, he was shocked. That emotion only compounded once he realized his airline was the one responsible.
“It’s horrifying,” Bastian told “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King and CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave on Wednesday morning.
On Monday, Delta Flight 4819 flipped upside-down moments after the aircraft landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. A video of the landing shows the plane touching ground before falling forward and rolling over as smoke and flames engulf its shell. Miraculously, all passengers were able to escape the flight without any life-threatening injuries. There is no official word about what caused the crash, but the investigation is ongoing. Bastian said the fact that there were no fatalities is “a testament to the safety that’s embedded in the systems.”
“I want to thank the first responders, the medical team, the care teams on board, the Toronto airport, everyone. The design of the aircraft itself worked as expected,” he explained. “I can’t provide any details, Kris. It’s an ongoing investigation, as you are aware.”
The Delta executive also expressed his “deep appreciation” for the crew aboard the plane.
“Our Endeavor crew performed heroically, but also as expected. This is what we train for; we train for this continuously,” Bastian added. “To the public, I can understand the concerns at the moment. The reality is it’s safer than the car ride I took this morning to get me to the office.”
The transportation head also said that President Trump’s recent firings of hundreds of FAA employees will not impact Delta. Bastian has been in contact with the administration, who reassured the CEO that the 300 people out of over 50,000 who were fired were in “non-critical safety functions.” Bastian also said he was not concerned about Elon Musk’s plan to “modernize” the skies, pointing to the Trump administration’s commitment to hiring additional controllers and safety investigators.
“This incident, as terrible as it appears, was something that we’ll learn from and will make us better,” Bastian concluded. You can watch the full interview, above.
