'Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet meets all safety standards', rules DGCA
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is compliant with safety standards.
An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 people on board crashed just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad on way to London on June 12.
The DGCA made these observations in a crucial meeting. It said no safety concerns were found with Boeing 787 but advised Air India to strengthen internal coordination.
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Economic Times
5 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Make Air India 'Volvo' of global airlines
Spirit in the sky In 1992, civil aviation minister Madhavrao Scindia resigned when a Russian aircraft leased by Indian Airlines crashed, despite zero casualties. An emotion-first response mechanism to disasters has historically been considered appropriate for Indian audiences, unlike the more rational SOP in the West. The tragedy of AI 171 must inspire Air India to build world-beating safety protocols, on a foundation of meaningful empathy. As per the Montreal Convention, families of perished passengers are already eligible for about ₹1.5 cr as insurance claims. Tata Sons has additionally contributed ₹1 cr, and Air India an interim of ₹25 lakh. Both chairman N Chandrasekaran and CEO Campbell Wilson have been hands-on in their commitment, while other CEOs of Tata Group are suitably aligned. In terms of emotional sincerity leading to actionable evidence, Tatas are doubtlessly delivering. They must now shift focus to hard-nosed safety considerations as a scalable service to the global flying community. According to DGCA data, India clocked 1.61 mn domestic flyers in 2024, while globally, the number was around 9.5 bn. For starters, Air India must take complete ownership over the accident inquiry, using regulatory authorities and equipment manufacturers as allies, setting a new benchmark in process and outcomes. This will ensure that it doesn't degenerate into a 'Machine vs Man' debate with allied conspiracy theories, fuelled by zealous online speculators. Safety and integrity are the Tatas' calling cards. This should lead to a continuing culture of intelligence-sharing with other airlines, pivoted on the supreme cause of passenger safety. This can be a valuable differentiator on a runway occupied by competitive nitpicking over 'softer' virtues like comfort, cuisine and an approach also makes sense in a digital search-intensive customer cohort, increasingly willing to pay a premium for 'hygiene' virtues, as proven by diverse categories like autos and wellness. 60% of Indian customers evaluate online prior to purchase, mirroring a global pattern. Air India is uniquely positioned to re-emphasise a safety-first credo to a customer base, equipped to co-create the emerging Air India Flying Training Academy at Amravati, Maharashtra, can be a vital pillar for this momentum, with the 'knowledge' resilience of the Tatas pooling in to build a leading facility. To this, one can add maintenance training and protocols, in tandem with softer but critical customer service interfaces, both physical and digital, resonating with a win-win safety and campaigns can be calibrated for in-flight customer accountability, extending to an overall 'tough love' care regime rooted in sincere empathy. In the envisioned future, Air India curated content can become globally viral for building a co-created safety culture. In the auto universe, Volvo's culture of safety is embedded in its ethos and drives a premium for prioritising human life. A 'Zero Accidents Vision', human-centric approach, and pioneering safety innovations like the 3-point seat belt (subsequently shared universally) and various other driver assistance tools have made the Swedish multinational the byword for auto safety. Global accident data is collated to ensure a safer future ride, which is further amplified by AI. This human value system is stock-in-trade for the Tatas. Adapting it proactively for Air India will lead to credible stakeholder leverage, coming from a diversified, and not just an industry, perspective. Over time, this can become a vital demonstration of Air India's intent to be a world-class airline, passenger-first on the most vital other aspects of safety, direct and extended, can be part of the airlines' agenda. The Montreal Convention, for instance, does not compensate crew members for loss of life - they are governed by employment contracts. High-rise construction near airports, endangering aircraft, is common across the world, and newer protocols must be considered. FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) clearly do not consider mental health dimensions. An amendment to these may be in stringent legal provisions could deter the growing cult of unruly passengers from misbehaving. Customer-centric application of AI can smoothen the overall flying experience, from terminal management to scheduling to dietary preferences. Again, in all this, Air India can bring about a first-mover is usually a point of parity in the airline industry. It can equally become a point of valuable difference. With its time-tested pedigree, the Tatas can well make Air India the thought-to-action Volvo of global writer is an autonomous brand consultant (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Benchmarked with BSE 1000, this index fund will diversify your bets. But at a cost. Yet another battle over neem; this time it's a startup vs. Procter & Gamble For investors with ability to take a contrarian stand: 6 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of over 26% return Buy, Sell or Hold: Motilal Oswal remains neutral on Tata Motors; Antique recommends Hold on Hindustan Zinc These 7 banking stocks can give more than 21% returns in 1 year, according to analysts
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
'No major safety concerns', says DGCA on Air India Boeing planes; airline cancels 66 B787 flights after Ahmedabad crash
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said the aviation regulator reviewed the operations of Air India and Air India Express following the recent plane crash in Ahmedabad, and added that the surveillance of the airline's Boeing 787 planes did not reveal any major safety concern. 'Air India B787 aircraft and associated maintenance systems found to be compliant with existing safety standards,' the DGCA said. However, the aviation watchdog said that it has raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues at Air India and directs the airline to boost inter-department coordination. The DGCA stated that Air India has cancelled 66 flights to be operated with Boeing 787 between June 12 and June 17 after the Ahmedabad tragedy. — The airline has been advised to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations. — Air India and Air India Express have been asked to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimise disruptions. The impact of recent airspace closures, particularly over Iranian airspace, was reviewed. — The regulator recommended the implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates. This is expected to enhance overall decision-making and reduce downstream disruptions. — The DGCA said that Air India was reminded of its obligations under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements Section 3 Series M Part IV & V, to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations. The regulator also emphasised effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channels to Air India. — The recent surveillance conducted on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns, the DGCA confirmed. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards. — Mandated 'Enhances Safety Inspection' was conducted on the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft, said the DGCA. The aviation watchdog said that of these, 4 B787-8/9 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities. As of 3pm on 17 June 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check, the DGCA noted. — The DGCA also reviewed recent operational data for Air India's wide-body operations, with specific attention to the Boeing 787 fleet. During the review, it was found that 66 Air India B787 flights had been cancelled between 12 June to 17 June. Further, the airline also cancelled a total of 83 flights in the five days.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
66 Air India Boeing 787 Flights Cancelled Between June 12 To 17: DGCA
NEW DELHI: A total of 83 flights in Air India's wide-body operations were cancelled, out of which 66 were Boeing 787 flights between June 12 and 17, said Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday. DGCA held a highlevel meeting with senior officials of Air India Ltd. and Air India Express, who are currently operating over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors. "Between June 12 and June 17, 2025 (till 1800 hrs), a total of 83 flights in Air India's wide-body operations were cancelled, out of which 66 were Boeing 787 flights," DGCA said in a press release. "A total of seven key focus areas were discussed during the session, centred on maintaining regulatory compliance and enhancing operational reliability," the release added. The regulatory body also reviewed the impact of recent airspace closures, particularly over Iranian airspace. The closures have led to flight diversions, delays, and cancellations. "The operators have been asked to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimise disruptions," the release read. The DGCA apprised the operators regarding their obligation under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements to inform passengers regarding delays and cancellations "well in advance". In the meeting, emphasis was placed on effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channel. Moreover, the surveillance conducted on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns. "The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards," DGCA said. The DGCA also directed the operators to apply the 'Enhances Safety Inspection' to an entire fleet of Air India Boeing 787, which comprises 33 aircraft. "Of these, 4 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities. As of 1500 hrs on June 17, 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check. An additional 2 aircraft are planned for completion today, with 1 more scheduled for tomorrow. The remaining 6 aircraft include 2 aircraft, which are presently AOG at Delhi. The checks on these two will be carried out post-declaration of serviceability and prior to their return to service. The remaining 4 aircraft currently under MRO will undergo the mandated check prior to their release from the respective maintenance hangars," the release read.
