A Boeing 737 Max suffered a mid-air engine issue and was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Arizona

• An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max aircraft flying from Arizona to Montreal, Canada, was forced into an unscheduled landing because of an engine problem, the airline said Friday.
• The aircraft was diverted soon after take off on December 22 when the crew received an “engine indication” and “decided to shut down one engine,” the airline said.
• The three crew members were the only people on board.
• Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded for 18 months following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people — although the engines were not implicated. Airlines began using them again in early December.
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An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max aircraft was forced into an unscheduled landing in Tuscon, Arizona after the crew noticed a problem with an engine, the airline confirmed Friday.

The only people on board were three crew members, the airline said.

The aircraft was scheduled to fly from Arizona to Montreal, Canada, but was diverted soon after take off when the crew received an “engine indication” and “decided to shut down one engine,” the airline said.

“The aircraft then diverted to Tucson, where it landed normally and remains,” it said.

“Modern aircraft are designed to operate with one engine and our crews train for such operations,” the airline said.

Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded for 18 months following two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Airlines began using the craft again in early December, starting in Brazil.

The two fatal crashes were put down to flaws in automated flight software, which caused the planes to nosedive. The engines were not blamed. Boeing has made a number of changes to the aircraft since the crashes, including to the flight control software. 

Belgian aviation news website Aviation24.be reported that the Air Canada crew discovered “left engine hydraulic low pressure” followed by “an indication of a fuel imbalance” from the left-hand wing.

The incident happened on December 22.

Airlines have been rushing to get the plane back in the air, take deliveries of delayed orders, and place new orders, despite customer skepticism.