Canada has issues with Boeing’s Max jet

Ottawa concerned with alarm systems as firm readies for U.S. approval

European and Canadian regulators are still wrangling with Boeing Co. over the last remaining technical details of its 737 Max revamp, leaving some customers to worry that certification in critical markets outside the U.S. could slip to next year.

In a rare bit of good news for Boeing and its beleaguered jet line, the Federal Aviation Administration on Aug. 3 triggered a process that could lead to reissuance of a U.S. airworthiness certificate for the Max as soon as October.

Yet international regulators say they aren’t ready to follow suit. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is waiting for more clarity from Boeing on a key update, according to people familiar with the matter.

China, the world’s second-biggest aviation market, has meanwhile said very little about its plan to evaluate the Max.

Winning U.S. approval by October might make it possible for commercial flights to occur before year-end. That would allow Boeing to finally start generating revenue again from its most popular model. The Max was grounded in March 2019 following the second of two crashes that killed 346 people.

While the FAA, the Max’s main certifying body, was always expected to be first to clear its return, a significant time gap with Europe or China, for example, could damage the outlook for the jet’s commercial revival.

On Monday, Canada reiterated its demand to address the so-called human factor that’s been discussed in the wake of a Max crashes as a potential contributing factor when an array of alarms and warnings can overwhelm pilots and contribute to airliner disasters.

Transport Canada wants to give pilots the option disable the stick shaker — a warning mechanism that noisily vibrates the plane’s control yoke — when it has been erroneously triggered. The regulator contends that this would reduce pilot workload and distraction.

As proposed by Boeing, the stick shaker could only be deactivated by pulling a circuit breaker, Livia Belcea, press secretary for Transport Minister Marc Garneau, said on Monday. Boeing has been discussing a modification that would be installed after the plane returns to service, Belcea said.

“Transport Canada will not lift the flight restrictions on the Boeing 737 Max 8 until the department is fully satisfied that all safety concerns have been addressed by the manufacturer and the U.S. FAA, and that enhanced flight crew procedures and training are in place,” Belcea said. “If deemed necessary, Transport Canada will require supplementary procedures and training in Canada.”