On behalf of everyone at British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) we send our thoughts to all those affected by the incident with Delta flight 4819 at Toronto airport yesterday.

We would like to pay tribute to all the emergency services and those involved in the rescue operation.

It is through a culture of learning from accidents that aviation has developed a strong safety record and we are able to prevent future tragedies. That is why it is vital that air accident investigators are now given the space to carry out an independent and thorough investigation without interference or unhelpful speculation about the contributory factors.

The global aviation community is always deeply saddened by events like this and brings a time of reflection and solidarity.