Following Transport Canada’s Airworthiness Directive and the January 20th lifting of the current Notice to Airman (NOTAM) that grounded the aircraft, Air Canada will resume Boeing 737 MAX service on February 1st, 2021.
On Monday (January 18, 2021), Air Canada announced that they will resume Boeing 737 MAX starting February 1st, 2021. The return to service follows Transport Canada’s Airworthiness Directive and the January 20, 2021 lifting of the existing Notice to Airman (NOTAM) that grounded the aircraft. Air Canada also conducted their own independent assessment of the aircraft and operation procedures by flight operations experts. The 737 MAX will gradually return to service on Air Canada’s North American network, as the carrier continues the optimization of their standard body fleet. In Monday’s announcement, Air Canada’s Vice President – Flight Operations, Captain Murray Strom, said,
“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.
“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. These measures are backed by our industry-leading flight operations, the extensive, comprehensive training programs our pilots and maintenance engineers regularly undergo, and our industry-renowned flight data analysis. Customers can therefore be assured that every crew member operating our fleet and the many employee teams working behind the scenes have an unwavering commitment to safety. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.”
From February 1st, 2021, Air Canada’s 737 MAX will operate on select flights between Toronto and Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Air Canada guests can determine the type of aircraft scheduled for their flight by clicking on the “Details” link of the flight they are searching. For trips which have already been booked, customers can retrieve details from the “My Bookings” tab on the Air Canada website or by clicking the “Details” section on the airline’s app. Air Canada has 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8s configured with 12 Business Class (2x2) and 153 Economy Class (3x3) seats. The Boeing 737 MAX resumed commercial flights last December and has since safely operated over 1,025 flights by airlines worldwide. In the video below, courtesy of Air Canada, Captain Murray Strom explains the return to service process.
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline, serving over 51 million guests in 2019. The Canadian flag carrier is a founding member of the Star Alliance and the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax, who also named the carrier ‘2019 Best Airline in North America.’
Source: Air Canada