United Airlines plans to bring the Boeing 737 Max back into its schedule from 11 February, with departures out of its Denver and Houston hubs. The Chicago-based carrier says on 18 December that due to ongoing public scepticism about the safety of the aircraft, it will deploy other aircraft types on the same routes as its Max, in case customers have qualms about travelling on the recently recertificated jet. The aircraft had been grounded for 20 months following two fatal accidents and was only recently approved to return to revenue service. “Nothing is more important to United than the safety of our customers and employees, so United’s Max fleet won’t return to service until we have completed more than 1,000 hours of work on every aircraft, including FAA-mandated changes to the flight software, additional pilot training, multiple test flights and meticulous technical analysis to ensure the planes are ready to fly,” the airline says. “We will be fully transparent with our customers and will communicate in advance when they are booked to fly on a Max aircraft.” The airline adds that it will publish the schedule of Max flights and routes in early January. Any customer who feels uncomfortable travelling in the aircraft can rebook at no charge or receive a refund, the airline adds. According to Cirium fleets data, United had operated 18 of the type prior to its grounding and has a further 166 aircraft on order with Boeing. The Federal Aviation Administration on 18 November rescinded its 13 March 2019 “Emergency Order of Prohibition” – the document barring US airlines from operating Boeing’s latest 737 iteration – after the US airframer made design modifications. Earlier this week, Canada’s civil aviation regulator “validated” Boeing’s Max updates, indicating it will lift the jet’s grounding in January. On 9 December, Brazilian low-cost airline Gol operated the first revenue flight following the aircraft’s recertification in that country. The first US carrier that will re-introduce the type into its regular schedule is American Airlines. The Fort Worth-based carrier will operate the aircraft on a round-trip flight between Miami and New York’s LaGuardia airport on 29 December. Southwest Airlines, the world’s top 737 operator, said earlier this week that it will return the type to its schedule from March.

Canadian regulators have prohibited the operation of commercial passenger flights from the UK to Canada – a move coming after the UK announced it identified a new, faster-spreading strain of the Covid-19 virus. Several other countries, including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands, have also banned flights from the UK following news of the new strain, according to reports. “Given the high number of cases of a variant Covid-19 virus observed in some areas in the United Kingdom, the decision has been made to suspend entry into Canada of all commercial and private passenger flights from the United Kingdom for 72h, effective midnight tonight,” says the Public Health Agency of Canada. Air service provider Nav Canada made public the prohibition in a 20 December notice to airmen (NOTAM). The prohibition does not apply to cargo flights. Air Canada, British Airways and WestJet fly between Canada and the UK.

Canada’s civil aviation regulator has “validated” Boeing’s 737 Max updates, indicating it will lift the jet’s grounding in January. “Validation of these changes means that these modifications can now be incorporated on Canadian-registered aircraft,” Transport Canada says on 17 December. The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted the Max’s grounding on 18 November with an airworthiness directive; days later Brazil cleared the jet to fly. Transport Canada calls the validation “an important first step in the eventual return to service of this aircraft in Canadian airspace”. “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,” Transport Canada adds. “At the same time, the department will also mandate the training requirements for air crew through an interim order.” Specifically, Transport Canada will require an “enhanced flight deck procedure” that allows pilots to disable the jet’s stick-shaker when erroneously activated by an angle-of-attack sensor. “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,” Transport Canada says. “There will also be differences in training including training on the enhanced flight-deck procedure.”