Delta Air Lines' DEI policies under scrutiny after Toronto plane crash
Delta Air Lines is facing criticism over its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies following a plane crash in Toronto on Monday that injured at least 17 people.
DEI policies have come under fire following at least four major aviation incidents this year, with President Donald Trump questioning if such initiatives were partly to blame for the fatal mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., in January that killed 67 people, News.Az reports, citing Newsweek.
Following the crash, Trump said that DEI programs had "lowered standards" for hiring air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration during the Joe Biden and Barack Obama presidencies.
Days later, the Trump administration began firing hundreds of FAA employees.
There is no evidence to suggest DEI policies were to blame for any of the plane crashes that have occurred this year.
On his first day in office, Trump ordered the removal of officials overseeing DEI efforts across federal agencies as well as the dismantling of federal diversity programs. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, released in January, directed agency heads to place all DEI staff on paid administrative leave, and to plan for staff reductions by January 31. The memo also mandated the removal of DEI materials and the withdrawal of documents that conflicted with the new directives.
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