Air India Boeing 787 planes did not reveal any major safety concern, says DGCA after surveillance
Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said that the aviation regulator reviewed the operations of Air India and Air India Express following the recent plane crash, and added that the recent surveillance of airline's Boeing 787 planes did not reveal any major safety concern.
'Air India B787 aircraft, associated maintenance systems found to be compliant with existing safety standards,' said DGCA.
However, the aviation watchdog said that it has raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues at Air India and directs airline to boost inter-department coordination.
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 minimize 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 operators were reminded of their obligations under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements Section 3 Series M Part IV & V, to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations. Emphasis was placed on effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channels.
The recent 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.
The 'Enhances Safety Inspection' mandated under Order Para 1 is applicable to the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft. Of these, 4 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities. As of 1500 hrs on 17 June 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.
DGCA also reviewed recent operational data for Air India's wide-body operations, with specific attention to the Boeing 787 fleet.
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