Transport Canada has completed their independent review of the design changes to the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft recently certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The return to service of these aircraft in Canada is complex, with additional aircraft changes, maintenance and training.
In January 2021, the department expects to issue a Canadian Airworthiness Directive which will stipulate the Canadian design changes that must be incorporated in Canadian aircraft. At the same time, the department will also mandate the training requirements for air crew through an Interim Order.
Thus, prior to a return to service of the aircraft in Canadian airspace, Transport Canada will require:
Specifically, the Canadian design changes for the Boeing 737 MAX will include an enhanced flight deck procedure that provides the option for a pilot-in-command to disable a loud and intrusive warning system (commonly called the “stick shaker”) when the system has been erroneously activated by a failure in the angle of attack sensor system. This feature will help to reduce pilot workload given what has been learned from the two tragic accidents, and has been fully evaluated by Transport Canada’s flight test pilots. There will also be differences in training including training on the enhanced flight deck procedure.
The commercial flight restrictions for the operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Canadian airspace remain in effect and will not be lifted until Transport Canada is fully satisfied that all its safety concerns have been addressed, that required modifications have been incorporated, that enhanced flight crew procedures are in place, and that all training has been conducted in Canada.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration extended the Conflict Zone warning on Syrian airspace for three years until December 30, 2023.
It remains prohibited to conduct flight operations in the Damascus (OSTT) FIR by all U.S. air carriers.
Explaining the extension, the FAA noted some recent events, among others:
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Volga-Dnepr Airlines has announced the temporary suspension of its Antonov An-124 commercial operations as of November 25, 2020 until the investigation into the recent accident at Novosibirsk has been completed.
On November 13, 2020, one of Volga-Dnepr An-124 cargo planes suffered an uncontained engine fan disk failure of the no.3 D-18T engine. This resulted in engine failure and the loss of control systems. Carrying 84 tons of cargo with full fuel tanks, the crew made an emergency landing.
The airline has twelve An-124’s, of which three were already in storage.
The Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) decided to unground the Boeing 737 MAX on November 25, 2020.
The decision followed long independent work to reauthorize the operation of the aircraft in Brazil. ANAC withdrew the Emergency Airworthiness Directive that had restricted the operation of the 737 MAX in Brazil after agreeing with theFAA evaluation for all necessary technical and regulatory elements that were carried out to address the safety issues. The FAA Directive of Airworthiness, released on November 20, was adopted by ANAC and has automatic force in Brazil.
GOL Linhas Aéreas, the only 737 MAX operator in Brazil, will now implement, under supervision, the necessary requirements to return the operations of their Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft.