A Delta Airlines employee died on the job at Orland International Airport (MCO) in Florida on Thursday night (US time). The shocking tragedy took place after a “tug” aircraft-towing vehicle crashed into a passenger boarding bridge on the tarmac.
The worker’s identity wasn’t publicly disclosed at the time of writing.
As an investigation is underway, the Federal Aviation Administration said that operations at Delta’s Orlando station were paused for the time being on Thursday evening. Offering an update on the currently probe, the Orlando Police Department also told local US news outlet WFTV 9 that the crash had minimally impacted overall airport operations.
No aircraft was involved in the crash. However, with the jet bridge connected to Delta Flight 2593, passengers were left with no choice but to evacuate the plane through the rear door. The flight was subsequently cancelled, the FAA told The New York Post.
As of Friday afternoon, operations had resumed at the airport.
Delta issues statement after worker tragedy at airport
“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of a team member while on the job … We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred,” the airline told US outlets in a statement.
According to Orlando Police Department’s preliminary statement to outlet WFTV9, the crash appears to have been “accidental in nature.” More details will be revealed in due time, as the investigation is taking place within the airside.
Other Delta troubles
The Delta worker tragedy case came to light merely days after the airline apologised to passengers for cancelling hundreds of flights over the pas weekend. Nearly 350 flights were cancelled and hundreds more delayed between May 2 and 3, according to tracking website FlightAware.
In a follow-up statement to USA Today, the airline said “We apologise to our customers for higher than usual cancellations this past weekend due to crew resources. This is not consistent with the operational reliability that Delta is known for and has our full attention.”
A late April internal memo obtained by the US outlet further underscored ongoing staffing issues. Sent by the Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations, Ryan Gumm, it highlighted that flight-related cancellations had increasingly surged since 2024, with the issues largely being triggered by pilot scheduling.
Addressing the same issue in a letter to members of the Air Line Pilots Association, Eric Criswell, the chairman of Delta’s ALPA master executive council, said, “Delta pilots have stepped up to perform overtime flying on their days off in record numbers to keep the operation moving.”
As quoted by USA Today, the message added, “Mismanagement of resources, lack of proper tools and training for Crew Schedulers, and numerous misguided attempts to pinch pennies during the 2025 ‘centennial’ celebration set Delta on this unfortunate and avoidable path.”
This is an ongoing investigation.