Air Canada removes Boeing 737 Max 8 from flying schedule until July 1

Gov't grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 Beth Macdonell speaks to passengers coming off a Boeing 737 Max 8, after the government announced it was grounding the aircraft.

Air Canada announced on March 19 it will not be flying Boeing 737 Max 8s until at least July 1.

The airline said the decision was made so that customers booking flights in the coming months will have more certainty when travelling.

Air Canada has also adjusted its schedule until April 30 to cover 98 per cent of planned flights and is now updating its May schedule.

"The Boeing 737 MAX accounted for six per cent of Air Canada's total flying, but there is a domino effect from removing the 737s from our fleet that impacts the schedule and ultimately will impact some customers. We have been working very hard to minimize that impact," said Lucie Guillemette, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for the airline, in a statement.

"To bring certainty to our schedule for our customers when booking and travelling, we are revising our schedule until July and we have taken several steps to continue delivering substantially all of our planned capacity through our global network."

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced on Wednesday the country is taking a precautionary step by grounding Boeing 737 Max 8 planes.

This move comes just days after an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed everyone on board, including one Winnipeg woman.

At a news conference in Ottawa, Garneau said the decision comes after a review of all the evidence.

Garneau said it’s not conclusive, but there are similarities between the Ethiopian Airlines flight profile and a Lion Air Flight, which used the same type of plane, that crashed off the Indonesian coast in October.

These similarities “exceed a certain threshold in our minds with respect to the possible cause of what happened in Ethiopia. This is not conclusive, but it is something that points possibly in that direction, and at this point we feel that threshold has been crossed,” he said.

The minister’s announcement means Boeing 737 Max 8s can’t fly into, out of or over Canada.

Winnipeg flyers react to grounding

CTV went to Winnipeg’s airport and spoke with passengers who were on a West Jet Boeing 737 Max 8 flight from Toronto to Winnipeg. They expressed mixed emotions after finding out the plane they were just on had been grounded by Transport Canada. Some said they were happy to be alive and others weren’t worried about it in the first place.

Kenora resident Trudy Favreau was all set to fly to Palm Springs, Cali., from Winnipeg Wednesday when the airline announced her connecting flight in Calgary was grounded because of the decision.

She said she was disappointed but relieved because of safety.

Favreau said West Jet was able to rebook her trip, put her on a direct flight Thursday, and gave her food vouchers and a hotel room.

West Jet announced on its website it is complying with Transport Canada’s decision to temporarily ground the Boeing 737 MAX fleet.

The company said it has 13 MAX aircraft in its fleet.

“This decision has an impact on the travel plans of our West Jet guests and we ask for understanding as we work to rebook all guests affected as quickly as possible,” it said.

“We have 162 aircraft or more than 92 per cent of our overall fleet that remain in service.”

West Jet said it’s contacting impacted guests to arrange for alternate travel plans.

Air Canada said its cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with a full fee waiver for customers who are affected by this grounding. The airline is working to rebook passengers, but they should expect some delays as these aircrafts carry thousands of people each day.

Air Canada asks customers to check the status of their flight online before going to the airport.

Airport was preparing in advance: spokesperson

The Winnipeg Airports Authority said Wednesday it has been watching the situation closely and was getting ready in case the decision was made to ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 in Canada.

Spokesperson Tyler McAfee said Winnipeg sees about 50 flights involving the planes a month.

He said there will be a ripple effect from the decision to keep them out to the sky, but doesn’t expect it to cause a big disruption.

He said the authority will be working with airlines to make sure passengers get to where they need to go.

The United States followed Canada’s decision to ground the fleet Wednesday afternoon.

- With files from the Canadian Press and CTV Winnipeg