OTTAWA—Air Canada and WestJet are flying the new Boeing 737 Max aircraft exempt from regulatory standards meant to minimize passenger injuries in the event of an accident, the Star has learned.Transport Canada granted temporary exemptions in 2017 to allow the airlines to launch services with the Boeing 737 Max models and in December, extended the exemptions for both airlines for more than a year. The issue centres on new standards for the design of cabin furnishings, notably the seats, to reduce injuries to passengers during an accident. New commercial aircraft operating in Canada — including the 737 Max aircraft — are required to comply with what is known as head injury criterion (HIC). “The rules were introduced to provide a higher level of safety for passenger protection in the event of a survivable aircraft accident,” according to a Nov. 27, 2017 briefing note to Transport Minister Marc Garneau obtained through access to information.Questions have been raised about the safety of the Boeing 737 Max in the wake of two accidents. Following the latest crash on Sunday in Ethiopia, aviation regulators around the globe have grounded the aircraft until more is known about the cause of the crash and whether the two incidents are linked. On Tuesday, Garneau said he was looking at “all potential actions” about the operation of the aircraft in Canada.Read more: Boeing 737s continue to fly Canadian skies despite being grounded abroad Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he would board a Boeing 737 despite Ethiopian Airlines crashOttawa considers ‘all potential actions’ as it weighs safety of Boeing 737 Max aircraftAir Canada, WestJet and Sunwing have placed orders for a total of 120 Boeing 737 Max models but because of the timing of production, 26 of the aircraft would not comply with the design rules at the time of delivery. In August 2017, Transport Canada issued an exemption, valid until Jan. 1, 2019, to allow time ...
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