Ottawa to keep Boeing Max aircraft grounded for now, despite US decision

Canada will not immediately follow the U.S. in allowing the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to return to Canadian airspace.

Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement Wednesday that Canada will impose different requirements than the U.S. before it lifts the grounding orders for the plane, including additional procedures on the flight deck and pre-flight and differences in training for flight operators.

Garneau added that he expects Transport Canada's validation process to conclude very soon.

His remarks followed a U.S. announcement allowing the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again once the company makes changes to the software and computer systems on each plane and provides training to pilots in flight simulators.

The planes have been grounded since March 2019, following two deadly crashes in which 346 people were killed, including 18 Canadians.

Investigators found that the crashes were caused by faulty sensors that pushed the aircraft's nose downward in flight.