Air Canada said Thursday its Boeing 737 MAX pilots were reviewing aircraft systems and alternative flight conditions for the grounded planes, and the carrier would decide on further training pending final recommendations from regulators. Wednesday, Canadian transport minister Marc Garneau called for pilots to receive simulator training for Boeing’s new 737 MAX software, going beyond a draft report by a US FAA-appointed board, which recommended additional training without requiring a simulator. Air Canada said it was the only carrier in the US and Canada with 737 MAX simulators. The carrier said it was pleased to see the Canadian govt take a “rigorous approach” in how it weighs its requirements for reintroducing the jets into service. <br/>
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Air China Wednesday received approval to launch a long-haul route from Shanghai to London, and permit the carrier to compete with China Eastern Airlines, as Beijing eased a decade-old "1 route, 1 airline" policy. Previously, China Eastern Airlines was the only Chinese carrier on the route. China's aviation regulator said last year it would ease the policy which had been in place since 2009. It had been aimed at preventing the country's mostly state-backed airlines from competing too aggressively against each other on long-haul routes that were hard to profit from. Analysts say the policy's relaxation will also likely increase pressure faced by foreign airlines on 20 popular long-haul routes who have long enjoyed limited competition from Chinese carriers. <br/>
ANA has completed a test flight of a new wide-body aircraft with its arrival in Hawaii. The airline completed the first of 2 tests when the Airbus A380 "Flying Honu" touched down Wednesday at Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu, according to news reports. The test flight carried 2 pilots, 3 airline employees and 3 passengers from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The state DoT says it is "very happy" Hawaii's largest airport is the 11th in the US that is able to accommodate the double-decker planes, which will seat about 520 passengers. The test was another step toward ANA's 2020 goal of doubling the number of seats on flights connecting Honolulu and Tokyo. The airline currently offers 3 daily flights between the cities on Boeing 787 aircraft, which carry 200 to 250 passengers. <br/>