Air Canada has cancelled multiple scheduled flights to London after the U.K. closed its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8s, the type of plane involved in last weekend’s deadly crash in Ethiopia.
France, Germany, Ireland and several other countries all followed the U.K.’s lead and also closed their airspace to that specific type of aircraft Tuesday. By the afternoon, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUAS) had grounded all Boeing 737-8 and 737-9 airplanes.
Air Canada Flight 860 was scheduled to leave Halifax on Tuesday night, bound for London’s Heathrow Airport. But early Tuesday afternoon, Air Canada changed the status of the flight on its website, showing it is now cancelled.
The airline also cancelled Flight 822, scheduled to leave St. John’s for Heathrow on Wednesday night.
In a statement, Air Canada said it was working to rebook affected customers as soon as possible through its Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa hubs. It also said impacted customers could rebook their flights at no added cost.
The airline said it is confident in the safety of its operations and fleet.
Martyn Amos, a professor in Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England, is due to fly with Air Canada from London to Halifax on Sunday.
He contacted the airline after the U.K. airspace ban was announced Tuesday about whether his flight will be changed.
“They were fairly vague because obviously they’re scrambling around right now trying to find alternative arrangements,” he told CBC News.
“They can’t really give any clear indication beyond simply if your booking changes, we will send you an email.”
He said that prior to the airspace ban, he was concerned about the fact he was due to fly on a Boeing 737 Max 8.
“The manufacturer has clearly acknowledged there’s an issue with the aircraft and they’re taking steps to remedy that,” he said.
“My personal concern was that those modifications to the aircraft would not be in place prior to my flying on Sunday.”
Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau has said it would be “premature” to ground all 41 of those planes currently owned by Canadian air carriers.
He reiterated Tuesday there are no plans to follow the example of the U.K. in suspending the jet from Canadian airspace. Shortly after that statement, he tweeted he was meeting with his civil aviation expert panel to discuss the Max 8 aircraft.
I’ve canceled all my meetings and public events today in order to meet with my Civil Aviation Expert Panel. All evidence is being evaluated in real time and we’re considering all potential actions.
Canada’s two largest airlines have also previously said they are confident in the safety of the aircraft:
- Air Canada said its 24 Max 8 aircraft have performed “excellently” and met safety and reliability standards.
- Calgary-based WestJet said it is “working with Boeing to ensure the continued safe operation of our Max fleet,” which includes 13 Max 8s.
WestJet is scheduled to use Max 8s for its seasonal routes from Halifax to London Gatwick, Glasgow and Paris starting in late April. A spokesperson for WestJet told CBC News there are currently no impacts on those routes at this time.
Sunday’s Ethiopian crash is the second such deadly incident for a Boeing 737 Max 8 model in less than six months. In October, a Lion Air plane crashed into the Java Sea just minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing 189 aboard.
from Update Trend News https://ift.tt/2Cjkbmq
0 Comments