Following the direction of many nations around the world, Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau and U.S. president Donald Trump have imposed a restriction, issuing a safety notice.
The restriction, effective Wednesday morning, bans the operation into, out of, and across Canadian and U.S. airspace, affecting air carriers at home including Air Canada, WestJet, and Sunwing.
Sunwing voluntarily grounded the flights Tuesday, however Air Canada and WestJet maintained operation. Multiple American air carriers also fly the 737 MAX 8.
Garneau says the decision was based on new information obtained by the department’s aviation experts. Satellite tracking data that is collected when aircrafts take off, their course, and vertical profile showed influx that “exceeded a certain threshold.”
“We’re issuing an emergency order to ground all flights of the 737 MAX 8 and the 737 MAX 9, and planes associated with that line,” Trump said. “Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice. So planes that are in the air will be grounded if they’re the 737 MAX, will be grounded upon landing at the destination.”
The minster warned that while similarities are not-conclusive, it was enough information to justify a drastic decision to ground flights.
