Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft will not fly in Canadian airspace.
Canada's Transport Minister made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump followed in Canada’s footsteps and announced Wednesaday afternoon an emergency order to ground the same aircraft.
“Following advice from Transport Canada Civil Aviation experts, as a precautionary measure, I am issuing a safety notice to address this issue," says Marc Garneau. "This safety notice restricts commercial passenger flights from any air operator, both domestic and foreign, of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft - from arriving, departing, or overflying Canadian airspace."
Canada's two biggest airlines are poised to take a financial hit after the announcement.
Air Canada has 24 Max 8s in its fleet and WestJet Airlines Inc. has 13 — both carriers use the commuter planes daily on routes that include Vancouver-Calgary, Vancouver-Montreal and Montreal-Los Angeles.
According to assistant professor of marketing at McMaseter University Marvin Ryder, the Max 8 ban could cost the two airlines $100-million collectively in the first 10 days.
The Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) released a statement Wednesday in support of the decision of Minister Garneau to be proactive and take steps, consistent with other jurisdictions, to help ensure the safety of the Canadian travelling public.
(Image courtesy of CTV)
The ACPA represents more than 4,000 commercial pilots who fly millions of passengers across Canada and around the world on Air Canada and Air Canada rouge.
The airline also confirmed its cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers.
(Image courtesy of CTV)
