Air Canada 737 MAX Ban Extended Into February

Air Canada has removed the Boeing 737 MAX from its flight schedule until February 14, citing operational considerations.

Chief commercial officer Lucie Guillemette said the airline is “taking this prudent step as a result of the ongoing regulatory uncertainty about the timing of the aircraft returning to service.

“The extension will give us scheduling predictability through the implementation of the first phase of our new reservation system and the required stability as we prepare the second phase of the system roll-out.”

The airline stopped flying its 24 737 MAX planes in March after Transport Canada closed domestic airspace to the aircraft.

A final decision on resumption of flights will be based on the carrier’s safety assessment following the lifting of government safety notices and approval by international regulatory authorities.

As part of its ongoing capacity management, Air Canada will lease two additional wide-body aircraft until March.

Other North American MAX operators have removed the aircraft from their schedules until January, with Southwest currently showing January 5, United January 6, and American January 15 as service return dates.