Trudeau Government Gives Final Okay to Boeing 737 MAX: Flights Could Start Thursday

January 18, 2021 ctn_admin

The government of Canada has given final approval for the Boeing 737 MAX to return to Canadian skies, and the first flight could take place on Thursday.

Transport Canada on Monday (January 18) issued an Airworthiness Directive for the Boeing 737 MAX which outlines the required modifications to be made to the aircraft prior to a return to service in Canadian airspace.

“This concludes the department’s review of the aircraft,” officials said in a release.

“As part of Transport Canada’s independent review process, the department’s civil aviation certification and flight safety experts were instrumental in guiding the aircraft design changes. Additionally, the department has gone even farther by introducing unique Canadian measures to further enhance the safety of the aircraft,” officials said. “

“In addition to all reviews, and to provide additional assurances that all measures are in place, an Interim Order that clearly indicates Transport Canada’s expectations and requirements for additional training for crew members was also issued for operators. It is complementary to the design and maintenance requirements of the Airworthiness Directive.”

As a final step in this process, Transport Canada will lift the existing Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) which prohibits the commercial operation of the aircraft in Canadian airspace on January 20, 2021. This will allow for the return to service of the aircraft in Canada. 

WestJet previously announced that it hoped to begin service on Thursday, January 21 with a flight from Calgary to Toronto. That has been changed to a shorter Calgary-Vancouver flight on the 21st, followed by regular service three times a week between Calgary and Toronto starting on Sunday, January 24, WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart told Canadian Travel News.

Flight 658 from Calgary to Toronto on Sunday will be early in the morning, allowing any passengers who prefer not to take the plane to grab a flight later in the day.

Air Canada has said it hopes to begin flying the plane again on February 1.

Transport Canada has spent well over 15,000 review hours on the Boeing 737 MAX. This review has seen Canada take a significant leadership role in the overall project helping shape many decisions taken by the state of design authorities, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It has also resulted in Transport Canada issuing its own unique Airworthiness Directive as opposed to the adoption of the FAA Airworthiness Directive.

Throughout the department’s independent review, ithas worked extensively with the FAA and other key certifying authorities, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), as well asCanadian airline operators, crews and union associations on the implementation of these measures.

Through oversight activities, the department has confirmed that Canadian operators are implementing the required measures and will be ready for the return to service of the aircraft in the coming days and weeks. Canadian airline operators have also collaborated in the development of the new training program. In addition, since Transport Canada approved the revised training program for the three Canadian Operators on December 21, 2020, these airlines have been actively training their pilots.

“Over the last 20 months, Transport Canada’s civil aviation safety experts, by their rigour and thoroughness, have ensured the safety concerns the department had identified have been addressed,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “Canadians and the airline industry can rest assured that Transport Canada has diligently addressed all safety issues prior to permitting this aircraft to return to service in Canadian airspace.”

Countries around the world grounded the MAX in March of 2019 after two crashes, the first in Indonesia and the second in Ethiopia, killed 346 people.

The two crashes exposed serious issues with the plane’s flight-control system and the aircraft’s certification process by the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S.

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