Transport Canada sees “increased involvement” in aircraft validation after the 737 MAX crash

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Transport Canada said Thursday it plans to take a deeper look at the relationship between regulators and the manufacturers they oversee, an effort to change the way it validates aircraft after the Boeing 737 MAX returns to the skies.

“We need to look at the interaction that different authorities have with their manufacturers,” said Nicholas Robinson, director of civil aviation for the regulator, at a Canadian hearing on aircraft certification and the MAX.

Canada is close to validating the jet that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared for flight earlier this month after it was redesigned following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

There will be some differences between what the FAA has approved for the MAX and what Canada will require for its airlines, such as for training.

In the past, regulators have readily followed the FAA’s guidance on Boeing aircraft, but many are now wary of appearing in line with the FAA after the US agency was blamed for negative oversight.

“It is a public record that information has not been available regarding particular aspects of this aircraft,” Robinson said. “This will have to change.”

The ability of regulators to cooperate is critical in an industry that spans dozens of jurisdictions. Having a regulator like the FAA do the heavy lifting to certify a US aircraft cuts costs and time, because overseas agencies can validate results without having to duplicate them.

Transport Canada, which took about 15,000 hours validating the MAX jet, expects to play a larger role in overseeing aircraft in the future, but it won’t replace the existing system, Robinson said.

“We will see more involvement in validation, but we must stick with the system where the state of design certifies the aircraft and the other key authorities proceed and validate the aircraft independently.”