
Air India, global carriers confirm Boeing 787 fuel switches are safe, ETInfra
Air India did not find defects with the fuel control switches on its Boeing 787 fleet, after completing safety checks on their locking mechanism, a senior airline official said on Wednesday."Over the weekend, our engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of fuel control switch on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found," Abhishek Durga Dethan, chief pilot of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, said in a letter to pilots of the Tata Group-owned airline.Across the world, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa Korean Air , and Etihad Airways also said that similar checks done by them did not show any issues.It is not yet known whether similar checks on the Boeing 737 jets operated by Air India Express also did not find any concern.ET reported in its July 15 edition citing an Air India official that the airline had started checks on the fuel control switches (FCS) on Saturday and completed them on half of its Boeing fleet so far. The checks haven't identified any defects, the official said."All our Boeing 787-8 aircraft have also undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacement as per the Boeing maintenance schedule. The FCS is part of this module," the airline added.Air India further directed its relevant staff to remain vigilant and report any defect in the technical log, as per the existing reporting process.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt pulls up Air India over rising safety issues
The government has begun holding direct meetings with Air India management amid mounting safety incidents, ordering the carrier to maintain the highest safety standards while setting a month-long timeline for reassessing its operations. Govt pulls up Air India over rising safety issues The first such meeting was held on Wednesday, in the midst of week in which an Air India aircraft caught fire at Delhi airport after landing from Hong Kong, a Kolkata-bound flight aborted takeoff due to technical issues, and a Kochi-Mumbai flight veered off the runway during landing in heavy rain. According to one of these people, the 'first meeting was held this evening where the airline gave a detailed explanation of their efforts towards maintaining safety'. The discussions, this person added, 'were held based on the incidents being reported by Air India and Air India Express. The ministry has ordered Air India to maintain highest level of safety standards. It will review the airline's operations after a month.' A second official said additional meetings are expected to focus on reviewing recent incidents and discussing fleet maintenance protocols. The direct government intervention comes amid heightened concerns over passenger safety following the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171 that killed 260 people and a subsequent surge in technical incidents affecting the Tata-owned carrier. 'The outcome of these discussions will be crucial in restoring passenger confidence and ensuring that the airlines under the Air India group meet the highest safety benchmarks,' an official said. The Boeing 787 crash marked one of aviation's deadliest tragedies in recent years and prompted comprehensive safety reviews. A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has identified fuel control switches set to cutoff during takeoff as the main cause of the crash. Why the switches were flipped, or by whom, is now at the heart of the probe. Since that incident, at least 15 other operational issues and serious incidents have been reported involving Air India and its low-cost service arm Air India Express. Both carriers have faced mounting scrutiny over their operational standards. The incidents range from aborted take-offs and emergency returns to runway excursions and auxiliary power unit fires, raising questions about maintenance practices at India's privatised flag carrier. 'The government is expected to emphasise preventive measures and enforce strict adherence to safety and maintenance standards,' another official said. The meetings involve airline executives and senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and civil aviation ministry. The regulator may seek detailed reports on maintenance practices, officials said. Following the AAIB's preliminary report that found fuel switches moved from 'run' to 'cutoff' position during the fatal flight's takeoff, the DGCA mandated Air India to inspect fuel control switch locking mechanisms on all Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft by July 22. Air India completed the inspections within the deadline, reporting no issues with the locking mechanisms. 'Air India had started voluntary inspections on July 12 and completed them within the prescribed time limit set by the DGCA. The same has been communicated to the regulator,' the airline said Tuesday. The safety concerns extend beyond Air India, with other carriers also reporting incidents. An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Goa experienced engine failure last week, though the airline termed it a technical snag. 'The real question is, how can they help mitigate these issues and what steps can they take? No airline management creates technical problems deliberately. Nevertheless, management must exercise greater vigilance,' said Jitender Bhargava, former Air India executive director. Aviation safety expert Amit Singh said the DGCA bears ultimate responsibility. 'They have a state safety plan with performance targets. If they feel that the number of incidents are found beyond the target, they must step in and take corrective action.' On Wednesday, an Air India Express flight from Kozhikode to Doha returned after being airborne for around one hour and 40 minutes due to an engine issue reported by the pilot. An airline spokesperson termed it a technical issue.

Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
JLR margin math wobbles on twin hit from China tax, EU-US trade deal move
New Delhi: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is staring at a fresh wave of geopolitical and policy-driven turbulence, with China slapping a 10% tax on most luxury cars and the European Union (EU) proposing tariff relief only for automakers that manufacture in the US. For the Tata Motors-owned brand, which does not have a manufacturing base in the US, these twin developments could complicate recovery efforts and further squeeze profit margins. Starting July 20, China imposed 10% luxury consumption tax on cars priced over 900,000 renminbi. This covers most of the models sold in the Chinese luxury car market. Earlier, only cars priced above 1.3 million renminbi attracted the levy from the Chinese government. The timing of the twin hits could hardly be worse. Just a month ago, Jaguar Land Rover trimmed its growth forecast for the current fiscal year. Now, analysts are warning that these latest trade and policy shifts risk derailing the company's already modest FY26 guidance of 5-7% earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margin. JLR had banked on reduced tariffs on exports from its Slovakia plant to the US, but that scenario may now be overtaken by events. The EU, which is finalizing a trade deal with the US for lower tariffs, has proposed that auto firms that have manufacturing in that country and export from there should be given some relaxation from 25% tariffs on imports. 'The two combined geopolitical headwinds pose a downward risk to the company's FY2026 guidance of 5-7% EBIT margin, which had only factored in lower tariffs on its exports from Slovakia to the US after the EU-US trade deal," analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities wrote in a 21 July note. Agreeing with a possible near-term pressure on JLR, analysts at Ashika Institutional Equities said in a note on 23 July that the UK-headquartered firm could face challenges on the two fronts, given the latest developments. 'Both developments present strategic challenges for JLR. In China, pricing pressure from new taxes could impact high-end model sales, while in the West, the absence of US manufacturing limits JLR's ability to benefit from policy support, thereby increasing its relative vulnerability in key export markets," the Kotak note said. JLR rivals' BMW and Mercedes stand to benefit the most if EU's proposal is accepted by US as they have plants in the country, from where they export elsewhere. JLR has manufacturing plants in the UK and Slovakia in Europe. In India, it has an assembly plant in Pune, where it assembles several models like Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, Discovery and Evoque. In FY25, JLR sold 10% fewer vehicles than the previous year in China at 47,200, while Europe saw an 11% decline at 71,700 units. Its biggest market, North America, recorded a 22% jump in sales to 129,000 cars during the year. However, JLR has faced headwinds in the international market since March, when US President Donald Trump announced a blanket 25% tariff on all automobile imports. During April-June, the first quarter of this FY, the maker of Range Rover SUVs sold 87,286 units, 11% fewer than a year ago due to a pause in shipments to the US in April to assess the tariff impact. JLR, which was acquired by Tata Motors in 2008 for $2.3 billion, contributed about 71% to Tata Motors overall revenue in the last fiscal. Analysts have earlier expressed concern that the near-term outlook for the company is weak. 'In JLR, discontinuance of 'Jaguar' ICE models, loss of market share in the China region and imposition of tariffs in the US shall lead to volume contraction ahead," Nuvama Institutional Equities had said in a note on 16 June. The company has acknowledged that its free cash flow will reduce to nearly nil in the current financial year. With the company looking to tackle the negative effects of various headwinds world over, it expects to end the current fiscal year with nil free cash flows. However, the management had earlier said the impact could have been even worse and the measures being implemented to offset the hit are leading to savings. 'The tariff impact will be primarily on Jaguar Land Rover. Tariff has gone up from 2.5% to 27.5%, and under the UK-US FTA, the tariff is 10%. The overall impact would have been 1.6 billion pounds," Tata Group Chairperson N. Chandrasekaran told shareholders at Tata Motors' annual general meeting on 20 June. 'But due to the steps taken by JLR, the impact has gone down to 600 million pounds, which is visible in the margin guidance," he added. At Tata Motors' annual investor day event also in June, the company said JLR will undertake several measures to drive savings, including manufacturing cost reduction, lowering vehicle warranty costs, and improving cost efficiencies in the overall value chain. The measures will collectively lead to savings worth 1.4 billion pounds per annum till financial year 2028, the company said. Jaguar Land Rover declined to comment when asked about the likely impact of the proposed EU-US trade deal and the Chinese luxury tax. The impact of the headwinds reflects in the company's share price. In 2025, Tata Motors' share price is down 8%, even as Nifty Auto has risen by 4%.


NDTV
6 hours ago
- NDTV
Fake App, Fake Profit: Pilot Loses Rs 3.16 Crore In Share Market Investment Fraud
Mumbai: A 56-year-old pilot was allegedly cheated of Rs 3.16 crore by cyber fraudsters under the guise of offering attractive returns in share trading, Mumbai Police said on Wednesday. The scam unfolded after the pilot watched videos on share market investments on a YouTube channel he had subscribed to. "After watching the videos in May, the pilot received a call from a woman on WhatsApp. She introduced herself as an assistant mentor and claimed to be working with SMC Global Securities," a police official said. The pilot was then added to a WhatsApp group and started receiving investment tips. After some days, the woman asked him to download the SMC Global Securities app. He subsequently invested in shares as per the tips. He deposited over Rs 3.16 crore in various bank accounts shared by the woman until July 11, the police official said. The pilot's wife had downloaded the app and found that her investment generated Rs 6.73 crore profit, while the profit in her husband's account showed Rs 15.82 crore. On July 11, the pilot, who works with Air India, contacted the company as he wanted to withdraw the money. The call was attended by an 'official' of the securities company who asked him to deposit an additional 10 per cent. The pilot realised that he was being taken for a ride and lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and approached West Region Cyber Police Station on July 19, the official said. Police registered a case against unidentified cyber fraudsters under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.