In a tone which now underlines the country’s wariness of the relationship between Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada has announced its intention to play a far greater part in the validation process of aircraft.
We “have to look at the interaction that different authorities have with their manufacturers,” Nicholas Robinson, Transport Canada’s director of civil aviation, told a Canadian hearing on aircraft certification and the MAX.
Currently Transport Canada is yet to approve the 737 MAX despite the FAA having already approved the jet to return to the skies. In particular, Transport Canada is likely to require additional pilot training before giving the 737 MAX the all-clear. Bearing in mind the criticism that the FAA has come in for over its relationship with Boeing in relation to the certification processes for the MAX, other regulators are now being more cautious rather than simply accepting what the FAA reports.
“It’s public record that information was not forthcoming with regard to particular aspects of this aircraft,” Robinson said. “That will have to change,” adding: “We’ll see a greater involvement in validation, but we do have to keep with the system where the state of design certifies the aircraft and the other leading authorities go ahead and validate the aircraft independently.”
However, Robinson conceded that in the case of Boeing, the FAA would still be responsible for the majority of the ‘heavy lifting’ of any validation process and that Transport Canada would not be looking to create a totally independent process.
