With 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet of commercial aircraft, Air Canada has announced that subsequent to Transport Canada’s (TC) Airworthiness Directive and January 20, 2021 lifting of the existing Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the aircraft ungrounding by regulatory bodies worldwide, and the carrier’s own independent assessments of the aircraft and operating procedures by its specialized safety and flight operations experts, it will be including the 737 MAX on selected commercial flights commencing February 1, 2021.
Routes now covered by the 737 MAX will include Toronto to and from: Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. All flights will be operated in accordance with Air Canada’s biosafety protocols, centered around the Air Canada CleanCare+ program.
“We are very confident the nearly two-year regulatory process undertaken by Transport Canada and other regulators worldwide ensures the utmost safety of the Boeing 737 MAX fleet from nose to tail, and from wing to wing. As part of Air Canada’s multi-layered approach to reinforcing and enhancing safety, our internal experts have also worked with independent specialists to conduct assessments of the aircraft and our operating procedures,” said Captain Murray Strom, Vice President, Flight Operations at Air Canada. Strom added that in addition to implementing all required updates and modifications to the aircraft, Air Canada has gone beyond by equipping its fleet with additional safety-enhancing features that exceed required regulatory standards.