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Air India to cut 15% of widebody international flights amid Dreamliner safety inspections
Air India said on Wednesday it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners read more
Members of Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad, June 14, 2025. Reuters File
Air India said on Wednesday it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Authorities continue to investigate the crash of flight AI171, which killed 241 people and marked the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service.
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The cuts, effective until at least mid-July, were being implemented 'to ensure stability of operations, better efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers,' the Tata Group-owned airline said.
The remaining planes will be checked in the coming days and additional checks are also planned for its Boeing 777 fleet, Air India added.
Flight AI171, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board and about 30 people on the ground.
Earlier on Wednesday, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the flight that crashed had a clean engine history.
In an interview with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023.
The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GEnx engines.
Air India also cited geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and 'night curfews in many European and East Asian airspaces' as contributing factors behind flight cancellations, which have totaled 83 over the past six days.
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Crashed jet had clean engine history: Air India chairman
Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Wednesday that the Boeing Dreamliner that crashed with 242 people on board last week had a clean engine history, revealing that the right engine was new while the left had been recently serviced, even as the airline announced a 15% reduction in international widebody services to stabilize operations. In an interview with broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India Flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023 and was due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. 'Both the engine histories are clean,' he said, adding that the aircraft 'has a clean history.' The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GEnx engines. Chandrasekaran said he expects preliminary findings from the crash investigation within 30 days, while calling for complete transparency in the probe. 'I think they will give a preliminary finding in 30 days. After that, I don't know when the final finding will be,' he said. 'We need a very transparent communication of the findings. Everyone needs to know. I need to know. You need to know. The families need to know whenever it is done,' Chandrasekaran emphasized, adding that 'Unless or otherwise we know what happened, there is no hope to fix it so that it doesn't happen again.' The chairman said he was confident that 'the black box and the recorders will definitely tell the story. And so we just have to wait for that' rather than engage in speculation. Speaking about the pilots, the chairman said that Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, the first officer Clive Kundar had more than 3400 hours of flying experience. 'What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that,' he said. The disclosure comes as Air India announced sweeping cuts to its international operations, citing a combination of factors including ongoing safety inspections, geopolitical tensions, and what it described as a 'necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots.' 'Due to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfew in the airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia, the ongoing enhanced safety inspections, and also the necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots, there have been certain disruptions in our international operations over the last 6 days leading to a total of 83 cancellations,' Air India said in a statement. The airline said it would reduce international services on widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, with cuts implemented between now and June 20 and continuing until at least mid-July. 'This effectively adds to our reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions,' the carrier stated. As an added precaution, Air India will also undertake enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet, expanding inspections beyond the Dreamliner aircraft involved in last week's crash. Officials said mandated checks on 26 out of Air India's 27 operational Boeing 787 aircraft were completed, with the final aircraft expected to be cleared by Wednesday night. '26 B787s have undergone the mandatory one time check mandated by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on June 13. Checks on the final operational 787 is expected to be completed by tonight,' an official said. 'No issues were found in any of these aircraft during the checks.' Currently, the airline has 27 of its total 33 Boeing 787s that are operational, with the remaining six either grounded for maintenance or undergoing scheduled servicing. 'Out of total 33 aircraft, inspections have now been completed on 26 and these have been cleared for service, while inspection of the remainder will be complete in the coming days. The fact that 26 aircraft have been cleared gives reassurance in the safety measures and procedures that we follow,' Air India said. On Wednesday, Air India cancelled three flights, including two after passengers had already boarded. Flight AI-188 from Toronto to Delhi was cancelled after boarding due to extended maintenance and crew exceeding regulated flight duty limits. 'Passengers, who had already boarded the aircraft, were disembarked following cancellation of the flight,' the airline said. The DGCA ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft following the crash of Flight 171, which killed 241 people when it went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday. Since then, 66 Boeing 787-operated flights were cancelled between June 12 and June 17. The aircraft, bound for London with 242 people aboard, began losing altitude seconds after takeoff before crashing into buildings near Ahmedabad airport. Only one passenger survived, while approximately 30 people on the ground were also killed. Air India apologised to passengers affected by the curtailments and said it would inform them in advance while making 'best efforts to accommodate them on alternate flights.' The airline is offering passengers a choice to reschedule their travel without cost or receive a full refund.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Prafull Patel questions Singapore Airlines' silence on Air India plane crash
MUMBAI: Former union civil aviation minister and NCP leader Praful Patel has criticised Singapore Airlines for its silence on the Air India Dreamliner plane crash on June 12. In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), Patel said that in all the sorrow and din surrounding the crash, there remains a surprising silence - or perhaps ignorance - about the role of a substantial shareholder, and the entity responsible for maintaining a large number, if not all, of Air India's wide-body aircraft. 'Guess the name: Singapore Airlines. They seem to be in hiding. Let's not forget they have a say in management and a codeshare agreement with Air India,' he said. Patel added that importantly, Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, is a nominee of Singapore Airlines. He previously served as CEO of their low-cost subsidiary, Scoot Airlines. 'Why this deafening silence?' he asked. Soon after his remarks, Singapore Airlines came out with a statement. Its spokesperson said, 'The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of everyone affected by the devastating Air India flight AI171 accident. We have been in close contact with our partner Tata Sons and Air India, and continue to offer our full support and all necessary assistance to them during this difficult time.'' Patel took to X again to respond: 'After six days, today, Singapore Airlines finally offers condolences to the victims of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash - and says it is 'offering all assistance' to the owners of Air India, Tata Sons. Why are you paying lip service today so late? The part owner of 25.1% with board representation and the CEO as its nominee says that owners, Tata Sons, are being offered all assistance?' Last week, Patel had said that after three-and-a-half years of the takeover of Air India by the Tatas, the management still needs to fine-tune various aspects of running a world-class airline, including maintenance.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Tata Group chairman 'apologises' for Air India crash, says 'I feel very sorry'
Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Wednesday "apologised" for the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week that claimed more than 270 an exclusive interview with the Group Editor-in-Chief of Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, Navika Kumar, Chandrasekaran said, "It is an extremely difficult situation where I have no words to express to console any of the families of those who died."advertisement"I deeply regret that this accident happened in a Tata-run airline. And I feel very sorry. All we can do is to be with the families at this time, grieve with them and we will do everything to support them at this hour and beyond," Chandrasekran was quoted as saying in a release. Over 270 people were killed on June 12 when a London-bound Air India plane -- a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner -- carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and crashed less than a minute after specifically asked about the reason for the crash and whether Air India is privy to any preliminary findings, Chandrasekaran said, "One would have to wait for the probe to conclude."The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun its investigations into the crash, and the government has also appointed a high-level said that it could be a month until some of the preliminary findings are out. He, however, claimed that AI171, the flight that crashed, had a clean history and there were no red flags that had been raised."There are speculations about human error, speculations about airlines, speculations about engines, maintenance, all kinds," Chandrasekaran said."There are a lot of speculations and lot of theories. But the fact that I know so far is this particular aircraft, this specifical tail, AI-171 has a clean history. As for the engines, the right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. Both engine histories are clean."Both pilots were exceptional. Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, the first officer Clive (Kundar) had more than 3400 hours of flying experience. What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that," he asked about the show-cause notices that had been issued by the DGCA in the recent past to Air India or fines levied on the airline for delays and operational matters, Chandrasekaran said these were not related to the AI171 are different from safety issues. If there is a safety issue, there is no way the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will allow us to fly. And with respect to this specific aircraft, what I have seen is what I have told you."Chandrasekaran also said that none of the 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners that are part of Air India's fleet are serviced by Turkish Technic, amid questions being raised about any Turkish link to the aircraft that crashed."None of them (the 33 Dreamliners) are maintained by Turkish Technic. Most of them are maintained by AIESL (AI Engineering Services Limited) or SIA Engineering Company (whose parent organization is Singapore Airlines)," he former union minister for civil aviation Praful Patel has questioned the 'silence' of Singapore Airlines, which he said, apart from being a shareholder in Air India, was also responsible for maintaining a significant number of Air India's wide-body in the interview, responded to Patel's claims, stating, "Singapore Airlines has been a great partner. And since we took over, they have helped us in many dimensions. Even some of the safety procedures, the best processes, we have taken from Singapore have taken it from Vistara, and many of the processes where we needed best-in-class benchmarks, they have helped us. They have reached out even at this time, their CEO is in constant touch with me. Whether it is customer experience or any other process, they are always available. They have been offering all the help they can."Chandrasekaran was also asked about whistleblowers who had spoken out against Boeing, specifically in the context of the manufacturing processes associated with the production of the 787 Air India Chairman responded by saying, "These are things that are being dealt with by investigative agencies in the US, but overall 787s have been flying for a very long time, we already had 27 787s by the time we bought Air India. And we have not had any red flags in our checks," according to the the June 12 tragedy, several Air India flights have been cancelled, or faced delays, raising serious concerns among acknowledged Air India needs to do a better job communicating with passengers about these matters."There are more than 1100 flights that we fly every day. And in the last six days, there have been in general, anywhere from 5 to 16 or 18 flights, depending on the day, that have been cancelled.""We've got to do a better job at communication. We have put a strategic communications team in the last three days," Chandrasekaran has met with senior officials of Boeing following the tragedy. He said: "So I did connect with both Boeing and GE at the highest levels. Parallel to the DGCA checks that we have gone through, I have asked them to check and tell us if there have been issues with any of the aircraft or engines," the release InTrending Reel
