Canadian Airlines Officially Respond To Banning Boeing 737 Max Planes

Canada has banned all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 planes in the country this morning. Now, multiple Canadian airlines have responded to the banning of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft from taking flight in the country. Canada's transportation minister Marc Garneau made the announcement this morning on Wednesday, March 13. 

READ ALSO: Canada Officially Bans All Boeing 737 Max 8 Or 9 Planes From Flying Indefinitely

Canadians have been concerned about their safety ever since an Ethiopian Airlines flight operating on a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed in a tragic accident that killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians. Now, the government has taken action. 

READ ALSO: The Plane In The Ethiopian Airlines Crash Is The Same Model Used By Popular Canadian Airlines

Previously, Air Canada and West Jet had said that they were confident in the safety of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft and refused to ground flights operating on that plane. Now that the government has ordered all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 planes to stop operations in Canada, the airlines no longer have the option to continue flights on the aircraft. 

Air Canada and West Jet have issued statements in response. Both airlines say they will comply with the government's decision and will stop flight operations of all Boeing 737 Max planes. 

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Check out Air Canada's statement below that was published on their website: 

"Air Canada confirmed today that it will comply immediately with Transport Canada's safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations until further notice. 

Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers. We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible but given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada call centres and we appreciate our customers' patience.

READ ALSO: 6 Members Of An Ontario Family Among 18 Canadians Killed In Ethiopian Plane Crash

Customers are further advised to check the status of their flight on aircanada.com prior to going to the airport.

We fully support this decision and will continue to work with Transport Canada towards resolution of this situation as soon as possible."

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West Jet is now contacting customers affected by the aircraft suspension to make alternate transit plans. "We respect the decision made by Transport Canada and are in the process of grounding the 13 MAX aircraft in our fleet," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, in a news release.

"This decision has an impact on the travel plans of our WestJet guests and we ask for understanding as we work to rebook all guests affected as quickly as possible."

READ ALSO: Sunwing Is The First Canadian Airline To Suspend Flights In The Wake Of Ethiopian Crash

The decision to ban all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 planes in Canada is indefinite. Currently, three Canadian airlines operate flights on the aircraft – Air Canada, West Jet, and Sunwing. Sunwing already chose to ground all Boeing 737 Max on March 12 prior to the transportation minister's announcement this morning.