Air Canada to pay bulk of new court-approved $18-million settlement
Passengers who were on an Air Canada flight that crash-landed more than a decade ago could be in line for a major payout.
The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia recently approved an $18.075-million settlement involving Air Canada, Nav Canada and the Halifax International Airport Authority.
The case dates back over a decade, when on March 29, 2015, Air Canada Flight 624 was approaching Halifax Stanfield International Airport during a severe snowstorm. The Airbus A320 was carrying 133 passengers and five crew members from Toronto when it struck power transmission lines before reaching the runway.
According to an investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), the aircraft descended too low before reaching the runway, and its engines struck power transmission lines, causing it to bounce and slide on the runway.
Twenty-five people were injured in the crash and taken to hospital, according to TSB. The board’s investigation did not determine who was at fault for the crash.
Air Canada is to pay eligible class members the bulk of the settlement, which is a little over $15 million; however, it’s important to note that the approved settlement does not mean the defendants have admitted fault or any liability for the crash.
“We are satisfied the matter has been resolved through an agreement,” Air Canada Spokesperson Sean Davidson told Daily Hive.
This is not the only lawsuit Canada’s biggest airline has faced this year.
In January, a Quebec court authorized a lawsuit alleging Air Canada wrongly miscalculated flight delays between 2019 and 2022 as being out of its control, potentially affecting passengers’ eligibility for compensation.
The case, brought by Montreal firm Slater Vecchio LLP, is still pending, and passengers can continue to submit claims online through the firm’s website.
Another class action involving former Air Canada and Aveos workers (a company that services planes for the airline) was overturned by a Quebec appeals court in May, according to law firm Trudel Johnston & Lespérance. The case could have resulted in more than $100 million in compensation for roughly 2,200 former workers, but the court ultimately ruled in Air Canada’s favour.