GETTING CLOSER?: MAX 8 being tested by Transport Canada

Transport Canada officials took part in test flights of the Boeing 737 Max 8 in recent days and are analyzing the results before giving the thumbs-up to proposed changes to the aircraft. Now, the plane will be further tested in Vancouver starting September 7th.

Minister Marc Garneau says the Max 8 aircraft won’t be allowed to fly in Canadian skies until they are proved safe. He said in a statement that Transport Canada will work with its American, European and Brazilian counterparts before giving a stamp of approval.

Canada closed its skies to the aircraft after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed in March 2019, killing all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians.

The crash was eerily similar to one five months earlier when a Lion Air flight went down after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia.

From Sunday to Tuesday last week, a Transport Canada test crew were flown daily between Seattle and Vancouver to evaluate the engineering simulator at the Boeing facility.

Test flights over American airspace then took place on Wednesday and Thursday.