India's aviation regulator finds no major safety flaws in Air India 787s
India
's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatcher for the
aircraft that crashed last week
, as part of its investigation into the incident that killed at least 271 people.
Offering a measure of relief for Air India late on Tuesday, India's aviation regulator said it had found no major safety flaws in the airline's Dreamliner fleet but warned of persistent maintenance shortcomings and coordination lapses that could undermine reliability.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which conducted in-depth inspections of 24 Dreamliners, raised concerns over delays linked to spare-part shortages and weak internal coordination between engineering, ground handling, and operations teams.
Still, in a boost to the Tata owned airline, which is facing intense scrutiny after the crash, the DGCA said all inspected Dreamliners were compliant with existing aviation safety standards. The wide-body jets form the backbone of Air India's long-haul network.
READ MORE
The DGCA also asked all flying schools to conduct training compliance checks, according to the confidential memos seen by Reuters news agency.
The DGCA said the requests were part of a 'regulatory' review of the crash, and also sought details of action taken following the watchdog's audits of Air India in the last few months. It asked for the details to be provided by Monday.
It was not clear whether Air India had complied with the directive. The airline and the DGCA did not respond to requests for comment.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people on board began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday before crashing into nearby buildings. Everyone on board was killed, bar a single passenger, along with about 30 on the ground.
Sumeet Sabharwal
, who the Indian government has said had 8,200 flying hours of experience and was also an Air India instructor, was the commanding pilot of flight AI171. His co-pilot was Clive Kunder who had 1,100 hours of experience. Mr Sabharwal's funeral took place in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Air India cancelled at least eight international flights operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on Tuesday,
affecting services to cities including London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai. The airline cited a combination of aircraft unavailability, technical snags, airspace restrictions, and extended safety checks.
At least three other Dreamliner flights have been grounded or delayed in the past 48 hours, as India's aviation regulator ordered rigorous pre-flight inspections across Air India's fleet of 33 Dreamliners. A Boeing 777 operating the San Francisco-Mumbai route was also grounded because of a technical hitch.
The disruption came as pressure mounted on Air India and Boeing as the investigation into India's deadliest plane crash in decades continued. Investigators are pursuing multiple theories, including what some independent experts believe may have been a catastrophic – and extremely rare – dual engine failure.
Air India's Chairman N Chandrasekaran told staff on Monday the incident should be a catalyst to build a safer airline.
The DGCA, through a separate memo dated June 16th, also asked flying schools across the country to 'strictly follow additional safety and operational measures'.
The regulator said instructors must check for compliance with procedures concerning training, maintenance and licensing, and co-ordinate flight plans with nearby airports in advance to ensure any emergencies are dealt with swiftly.
'Compliance will be assessed during audits/surveillance,' said the memo by the Directorate of Flying Training.
Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, visited Air India's headquarters near New Delhi and met the airline's chairman to discuss the crash.
The crash poses a new challenge for Air India, which the Tata Group bought in 2022 and has been trying to revamp, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises.
In a June 13th memo headed 'updating airport emergency plan', government-managed airports have also been asked to conduct a full-scale training exercise – typically an emergency drill – on June 30th. – Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
India's aviation regulator finds no major safety flaws in Air India 787s
India 's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatcher for the aircraft that crashed last week , as part of its investigation into the incident that killed at least 271 people. Offering a measure of relief for Air India late on Tuesday, India's aviation regulator said it had found no major safety flaws in the airline's Dreamliner fleet but warned of persistent maintenance shortcomings and coordination lapses that could undermine reliability. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which conducted in-depth inspections of 24 Dreamliners, raised concerns over delays linked to spare-part shortages and weak internal coordination between engineering, ground handling, and operations teams. Still, in a boost to the Tata owned airline, which is facing intense scrutiny after the crash, the DGCA said all inspected Dreamliners were compliant with existing aviation safety standards. The wide-body jets form the backbone of Air India's long-haul network. READ MORE The DGCA also asked all flying schools to conduct training compliance checks, according to the confidential memos seen by Reuters news agency. The DGCA said the requests were part of a 'regulatory' review of the crash, and also sought details of action taken following the watchdog's audits of Air India in the last few months. It asked for the details to be provided by Monday. It was not clear whether Air India had complied with the directive. The airline and the DGCA did not respond to requests for comment. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people on board began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday before crashing into nearby buildings. Everyone on board was killed, bar a single passenger, along with about 30 on the ground. Sumeet Sabharwal , who the Indian government has said had 8,200 flying hours of experience and was also an Air India instructor, was the commanding pilot of flight AI171. His co-pilot was Clive Kunder who had 1,100 hours of experience. Mr Sabharwal's funeral took place in Mumbai on Tuesday. Air India cancelled at least eight international flights operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on Tuesday, affecting services to cities including London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai. The airline cited a combination of aircraft unavailability, technical snags, airspace restrictions, and extended safety checks. At least three other Dreamliner flights have been grounded or delayed in the past 48 hours, as India's aviation regulator ordered rigorous pre-flight inspections across Air India's fleet of 33 Dreamliners. A Boeing 777 operating the San Francisco-Mumbai route was also grounded because of a technical hitch. The disruption came as pressure mounted on Air India and Boeing as the investigation into India's deadliest plane crash in decades continued. Investigators are pursuing multiple theories, including what some independent experts believe may have been a catastrophic – and extremely rare – dual engine failure. Air India's Chairman N Chandrasekaran told staff on Monday the incident should be a catalyst to build a safer airline. The DGCA, through a separate memo dated June 16th, also asked flying schools across the country to 'strictly follow additional safety and operational measures'. The regulator said instructors must check for compliance with procedures concerning training, maintenance and licensing, and co-ordinate flight plans with nearby airports in advance to ensure any emergencies are dealt with swiftly. 'Compliance will be assessed during audits/surveillance,' said the memo by the Directorate of Flying Training. Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, visited Air India's headquarters near New Delhi and met the airline's chairman to discuss the crash. The crash poses a new challenge for Air India, which the Tata Group bought in 2022 and has been trying to revamp, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In a June 13th memo headed 'updating airport emergency plan', government-managed airports have also been asked to conduct a full-scale training exercise – typically an emergency drill – on June 30th. – Reuters
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Airbus seals VietJet deal as hopes rise at Paris Air Show for end to tariffs
Airbus struck a deal with budget airline VietJet for up to 150 single-aisle jets at the Paris Airshow today, where industry hopes of a return to tariff-free trade were given a boost by US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy. Sean Duffy said he wanted civil aviation to return to a 1979 zero-tariff trade agreement, in one of the clearest signs yet that the Trump administration might favour such a move. However, Duffy added that while the White House was aware that the US is a net exporter in aerospace, it was also dealing with a complex tariff situation. US President Donald Trump's 10% tariffs on nearly all airplane and parts imports are a headache for an industry already battling supply chain challenges and facing fresh turbulence from last week's deadly Air India crash and conflict in the Middle East. In early May, the US Commerce Department launched a "Section 232" national security investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts that could form the basis for even higher tariffs on such imports. Airlines, planemakers and several US trading partners have been lobbying Trump to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement. On day two of the air show, European planemaker Airbus said it had signed a memorandum of understanding for VietJet to buy 100 A321neo planes, with the option to buy up to 50 more in future. The agreement confirmed an earlier Reuters story. A deal for 150 A321neos could be worth around $9.4 billion, according to estimated prices provided by Cirium Ascend. The agreement was the latest in a flurry of business announced by Airbus at the world's biggest aviation trade fair. US rival Boeing is expected to have a more subdued show as it focuses on the probe into last week's fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787 and after it racked up huge deals during Trump's recent tour of the Middle East. On the defence side of the show, Leonardo chair Stefano Pontecorvo said the Italian group had bought a European cybersecurity company to strengthen its position in an area seen as increasingly important in new combat systems.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Investors waver as Israel-Iran clash tests nerves
Investors struck a cautious tone on Monday, as an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran pushed oil prices higher and raised wider questions about the long-term impact. As markets reopened following a weekend of strikes between Israel and Iran, investors held back on making big bets in either direction. Chinese stocks swung between gains and losses. European equity futures edged lower. The dollar was little changed, while gold held near a record high. Brent crude prices soared 5.5 per cent in early trading but quickly pared most of that move. The abrupt swing in the price of oil underscored the wait-and-see approach many investors are taking, as they weigh fears of a spiraling conflict in the Middle East against news closer to home. Oil was up less than 1 per cent in afternoon trading in Asia. A key question for investors is whether the conflict can be contained, after a weekend of attacks from both sides and a pledge by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to 'strike at every site and every target of the Ayatollah regime'. READ MORE A major concern is that the conflict disrupts the supply of oil, putting upward pressure on inflation just as many central banks worry about growth. So far, though, markets haven't fully gone risk-off. Yields on US treasuries and a range of government bonds in Asia rose, a sign that investors aren't seeking the protection of low-risk government bonds. There were also flashes of optimism in stocks: Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1 per cent, while Korea's Kospi was on course for its highest close since January 2022. 'The market is putting on a surprisingly brave face given uncertainty over the question of what comes next regarding the Israel-Iran conflict,' said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. The Israeli shekel gained more than 1 per cent against the dollar after four days of losses. The conflict adds complications to what was already set to be a busy week. The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan are among a raft of central banks set to announce interest rate decisions, while a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders also threatens to add volatility. Japanese equities were helped by a rally in defence stocks after reports that Japan and the EU would meet to discuss cooperation measures for the defence industry. Retail sales in China rose 6.4 per cent in May, a much faster expansion than the estimated 4.9 per cent. That figure came alongside a raft of data from the world's second largest economy, which painted a mixed picture. But the surprise lifted sentiment, and helped Chinese stocks in Hong Kong wipe out their morning losses. - Bloomberg
