WestJet flies Boeing 737 Max from Calgary to Vancouver

Nearly two years after being grounded following two deadly crashes, Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft returned to Canadian airspace Thursday morning.

WestJet flight 115 left Calgary International Airport at 7:43 a.m. local time, bound for Vancouver. Passengers preparing to board the flight said they weren’t overly concerned about travelling on the plane.

It’s the first commercial flight on a 737 Max in Canada since the aircraft was grounded in March 2019 after deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that investigators said was caused by a faulty sensor system.

Transport Canada lifted its grounding order for the Max on Wednesday after approving design changes to the plane and requiring pilots to undergo additional training.

Three passengers on the flight said they had been emailed by WestJet notifying them that they would be flying on the Max, while one didn’t know ahead of time. None of the four was overly concerned, saying they trusted that the plane had been properly tested.

“It’s interesting to be the first one on it, but I’m not too concerned,” said Chloe Marshall, who wasn’t aware in advance that she would be flying on the Max. “I think they have protocol in place and they know what they’re doing, so I just trust the process.”

Lowell Van Zuiden pointed to the lengthy review process.

“I suspect that they’ve probably gone through about as much certification, checking and everything else as they possibly can, so I’m not worried about that,” he said.

WestJet will temporarily offer additional flexibility in its change and cancellation policies to customers scheduled to fly on the Max, with different conditions depending on how far in advance a passenger wants to change the itinerary. The policies granting extra flexibility will be applicable until Feb. 28.

Air Canada is expected to follow WestJet in returning the Max to commercial service on Feb. 1. Sunwing, which also flies the Max, has not yet announced when it plans to return the plane to service.

Transport Canada has said Canadians should feel confident that the design changes will ensure its safety.