More than just another item on a to-do list, safety is a core value at YVR. It is also the top priority for Transport Canada and its airline partners.
As the federal institution responsible for transportation policies and programs, Transport Canada’s safety experts spent more than 15,000 hours independently verifying changes to the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to ensure all safety concerns were addressed before allowing its return to service.
On January 21, in line with the recertification of the aircraft by Transport Canada—following an almost two-year pause—WestJet returned the Boeing 737 MAX to commercial service in Canada with a flight from Calgary to YVR.
The flight was flown by Captain Scott Wilson, WestJet, vice-president operations, Captain David Colquhoun, WestJet master executive council chair, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Chris Rauenbusch, president CUPE, Local 4070, WestJet Inflight.
Considered the aircraft of the future, the Boeing 737 MAX reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions by 20 per cent over the first Next-Generation 737s.
Air Canada also resumed its Boeing 737 MAX commercial operations on Feb. 1., with the airline’s officials citing “the nearly two-year regulatory process undertaken by Transport Canada and other regulators worldwide,” as a process that ensured confidence in the utmost safety of its MAX fleet.
