Delta Air Lines was accused of illegally using aid funds and paid $8.1 million to the US government
Customized Aviation Obstruction Light,
airport identification signs suppliers,
low price airport identification signs,
Customized airport LED cable connector.
Civil Aviation Resources Network, July 17, 2025: According to Simpleflying, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that Delta Air Lines has agreed to pay the U.S. federal government $8.1 million to settle allegations that it violated relevant conditions when receiving federal aid during the epidemic.
During the epidemic, Delta Air Lines received approximately $11.9 billion in federal funding through the wage support program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The program is intended to provide financial relief to airlines and other companies.
According to the relevant provisions of the program, companies receiving federal aid must implement a cap on executive compensation. The Department of Justice accused Delta of violating this provision and falsely stating that it had complied with the relevant requirements despite knowing that there were violations. In response, Delta Air Lines said that it "firmly believes that the company has fully complied with the provisions of the Act" and believes that the government's allegations are "groundless", but in order to avoid litigation costs, it decided to reach a settlement.
The investigation stems from a lawsuit filed by a third-party researcher under the False Claims Act. The lawsuit claims that Delta Air Lines violated the conditions of the program's assistance.
The program was launched in 2020 and provides financial support to the aviation industry, including grants and low-interest loans. As one of the application conditions, Congress requires companies to limit the compensation of executives with an annual salary of more than $425,000. This provision is intended to prevent companies from paying high salaries to executives after receiving taxpayer funding.
Delta received a total of approximately $11.9 billion in aid, of which at least $8.2 billion was grants. To obtain the aid, Delta promised to comply with the salary cap requirements by April 2023. However, the whistleblower claimed that from March 2020 to April 2023, Delta paid some company executives more than the limits set in the agreement, and repeatedly falsely declared compliance during this period, and failed to report violations to the Treasury Department in a timely manner.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which is responsible for the investigation of this case, emphasized that the allegations involved in the settlement are still "limited to allegations" and no legal liability has been determined. Delta Airlines also insisted that it was not at fault.