Should Canada ground Max 8s? YVR travellers split on Boeing aircraft

Canada hesitates as countries ground Max 8 A growing list of countries are grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, but the planes are still being used on Canadian flights.

Canada says it is not grounding the type of aircraft involved in a deadly crash in Ethiopia over the weekend, despite mounting pressure on Ottawa to do so.

The United Kingdom, the European Union Australia and parts of Asia have all suspended airline activity involving the Boeing 737 Max 8. The United States, on the other hand, has not.

“I think they grounded them until they figure out the investigation,” traveller Sean Tinney told CTV News at the Vancouver airport before boarding his flight to California.

“I think Boeing is a really good company,” said Sholto Scruton, another passenger. “This is pretty rare for this sort of thing to happen.”

The move comes after a Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed after taking off in clear weather Sunday, killing all 157 people onboard, including 18 Canadians.

This is the second Boeing 737 Max 8 to crash in almost six months. In October, one went down in Indonesia, also shortly after take off.

But in Canada, federal official remains undecided on whether that means the aircraft should be taken out of service.

“I have directed by group of experts to be ready for all possibilities including a decision to ground Max 8s, but at this point we have not taken any decision because we want to get as much information as possible before we make our decision,” said Transportation Minister Marc Garneau.

Early Tuesday morning, countries began suspending their use of the aircraft, and airlines began calling for better safety measures.

And while Canada has not followed suit, the decision by other countries does mean that Canadian airlines are not always able to operate as usual.

On Tuesday, Air Canada said the U.K.'s decision to ban Max 8s from its airspace meant that passengers flying from St. John's, Nfld. To London had to be rebooked on flights departing from other Canadian cities.

One passenger on a flight to Birmingham, England told ITV News that about two hours into the flight from Istanbul, the plane turned around.

"I noticed that we were sort of turning and it felt weird and then the map showed we were turning back to Istanbul," said Sara Tor.

In a statement Boeing, which manufactures Max 8s, says said "safety is Boeing’s number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX," but added that it understand the decision by various regulatory bodies to ground the planes as a precaution.

"We’ll continue to engage with them to ensure they have the information needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. The United States Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators.”

A news conference will be held tomorrow at 8 a.m. in Ottawa with Garneau discuss the Boeing 737 Max 8 and aviation safety and security.