Canada’s decision to ground Boeing’s 737 MAX-8 jets in 2019 was influenced by new data obtained after a chance encounter in Europe that provided evidence linking the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes. Nearly 800 pages of internal government documents, including emails, briefings, and memos, reveal the 72-hour period that led to then-Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s decision to ban the American-made jets from Canadian skies. Senior Transport Canada officials weighed several factors before grounding the MAX-8, including the impact on Canadian airlines, the position of airline unions, and the lack of evidence connecting the two crashes. The decision came just hours before the official announcement, following the discovery of similarities between the incidents.
The new data that led to Canada’s decision came from NAV Canada employees attending a conference in Europe who were informed that the European Union had grounded the MAX-8 based on information from a U.S.-based company called Aireon, which operates a global aircraft tracking surveillance system. This data was then shared with Transport Canada officials, who received it on March 13 and found similarities between the Ethiopian and Lion Air crashes. Garneau ultimately announced the grounding of the MAX-8s immediately, citing these similarities as a cause for concern, despite previous beliefs that there was no evidence linking the two incidents.
Investigations later revealed that the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes were connected due to issues with Boeing’s anti-stall software, known as MCAS, which forced the nose of the MAX-8s down as pilots struggled to control the jets. These crashes marked the beginning of a safety crisis at Boeing that continues to impact the company. While initially expressing confidence in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of the Boeing MAX-8, Garneau later announced that Transport Canada would change the approval process and certify Boeing’s software fixes independently. In 2021, after almost two years of grounding, Canada cleared the MAX-8 to fly again, while Boeing admitted to misleading regulators and paid a fine in connection to the crashes.
In January 2024, safety concerns arose again with the MAX-9 jet when a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon, leading to an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported. The ongoing issues at Boeing were highlighted by the death of a whistleblower who had exposed the planemaker’s lax safety standards, as well as allegations from another employee detailing shortcuts taken in rushing the production of Dreamliners. Transport Canada did not address specific questions regarding the handling of the new data that influenced the MAX-8 grounding decision, noting that the U.S. FAA is responsible for the aircraft involved in the crashes. The department continues to work closely with bilateral partners to ensure safety objectives are met.
