Transport Canada orders Boeing 737 jet operators to limit use of anti-icing system amid safety concerns
Canada’s Transport Ministry has issued a directive to airlines for the 108 Boeing 737 MAX jets operating in Canada. Airlines will have to limit the use of an engine anti-icing system which could potentially cause damage to the engine housings if used for more than five minutes in dry air. The in-flight tests carried out by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that prolonged use of the system could cause “severe engine inlet cowl damage”. This damage could cause parts of the engine cover to loosen, potentially harming the fuselage and windows of the airplane and putting passengers at risk. The directive comes into effect on August 25th, and applies to all planes equipped with the LEAP 1B engine supplied by CFM International. Transport Canada has accepted the FAA’s directive on this matter.
Directive latest issue facing 737 MAX jets
Of the 108 737 MAX jets in Canada, 40 are operated by Air Canada and two are under lease to Air Transat. Flair Airlines operates 18 737 MAX jets. WestJet and Swoop did not respond to the CBC before publication with the number of planes affected in their fleets.
Air Canada, WestJet and Flair Airlines acknowledged the directive and said the changes would not have any effect on passenger service. Air Transat is working with the lease provider of their two planes and also said that the changes would have no impact on their schedule.
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The directive is just the latest issue faced by the 737 MAX, which Canadian airlines now refer to as the 737-8. The plane was grounded worldwide in 2019 after two crashes.
During the grounding, Boeing redesigned the plane’s Manoeuvring Char