NBC Correspondent Says Toronto Plane Crash Will ‘Raise the Concern’ About ‘Trump’s Effort’ to Cut FAA — Even Though It Happened in Canada
NBC News senior correspondent Tom Costello speculated that a plane crash in Toronto would raise concerns about President Donald Trump’s “effort to trim down the federal workforce” on Monday night, despite noting the fact that the crash occurred in Canada.
A Delta jet flipped upside down as it landed at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Monday. All 80 passengers — including the crew — survived the incident, although some sustained minor injuries.
Costello noted that the crash involved a Canadian air traffic control tower but said it could raise concerns about Trump’s FAA cuts.
“I did want to, you know, underscore-, to pick up on the conversation you were just having, though, in terms of the recent string of aviation incidents, Tom. this is going to yet again raise the concern about FAA staffing, air traffic control staffing,” declared Costello. “Now, this is a Canadian air traffic control tower, and this is under Canadian authority once it crosses the border. And yet, as you know, there has been this talk about maybe staff cuts at the FAA as a part of President Trump’s effort to trim down the federal workforce. And yet, as you also know, the FAA has been complaining for years that they are understaffed at critical job positions, especially air traffic control.”
He continued:
I was having a conversation with somebody today about whether air traffic control in America is being affected by the staff cuts so far — not to their knowledge. And yet other positions related to maintaining critical equipment appear to have been cut. So this is going to feed into all of these recent incidents, and the safety of the total air traffic system is going to be very much a part of the conversation as we go forward, at least on this side of the country, of the border I should say. Let me just underscore again, this is a Delta regional flight, and as a result, you’re talking about maybe 75 to 85, or so passengers on board, all part of that normal routine. By the way, the RJ, the regional jet, this is a bombardier, so it is made in Canada. And these jets have a history of being a a very robust plane, able to handle colder conditions.
Deadly recent incidents in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia have raised concerns over the safety of American air travel.
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