Latest news with #B787-8
United News of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- United News of India
Air India begins DGCA-mandated safety checks on Boeing 787 fleet
New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) Air India on Saturday said it is in the process of completing the one-time safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet, following a directive issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Air India Spokesperson in a statement on X said, 'Air India has completed such checks on nine of the Boeing 787 aircraft and are on track to complete this process for the remaining 24 aircraft within the timeline provided by the regulator'. The checks are being carried out on the Boeing 787 fleet as they return to India, before being cleared for their next operations. The company has also cautioned that the process may lead to longer turnaround times and potential delays, particularly on long-haul routes to airports that have strict operating curfews. To minimise inconvenience, customers will be notified of any delays and are advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport, the airline Spokesperson said. The airline has also asked the flyers to check status of their flights at before heading to the airport. Passengers impacted by delays or cancellations are being offered either complimentary rescheduling or full refunds upon request, the Spokesperson added. Notably, the DGCA yesterday issued a directive mandating urgent additional maintenance checks for Air India's B787-8/9 fleet equipped with Genx engines. The directions were issued in the wake of the recent accident involving an Air India Boeing B787-800 aircraft operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick on June 12.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Eight B787 aircraft inspected after Air India crash: Aviation minister
New Delhi: Eight out of the total 34 B787 fleet have already been inspected, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday while addressing the media on the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday. 'As per extended surveillance ordered by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on Friday, eight of the total 34 B787 have already been inspected,' Naidu said. The minister did not elaborate on the findings of the surveillance. However, people familiar with the matter said that there were no issues found in the eight inspected 787s. Naidu also said that the black box was recovered at around 5pm on Friday. People familiar with the matter said that it's the flight data recorder (FDR) of the black box that was found on Friday and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) is yet to be found. To be sure, Air India had 34 B787 in its fleet before the crash. IndiGo has a B787-9 aircraft but with a foreign registration. 241 out of the total 242 people (230 passengers and 12 crew members) were killed when an Air India Boeing 787-8 dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after taking off on Thursday afternoon, marking the worst air tragedy in the country in three decades. Officials said at least 50 people were injured in the medical college hostel where the jet rammed into as it turned into a fireball. Samir Kumar Sinha, civil aviation secretary, said, 'Air India B787-8 aircraft flew to Paris-Delhi, and Delhi- Ahmedabad route without any issues before the crash,' 'The crash happened at 1.40pm and a team of DGCA, BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security), AAI (Airports Authority of India), CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) and myself reached the crash site around 6pm until when the fire was doused by the local authorities,' Sinha said. The government at around 12.40am on Saturday issued an order stating that a high-level multi disciplinary committee headed by home secretary. THe committee will also have heads from DGCA and BCAS, secretary of civil aviation, representative from the Gujarat home department, representative from the state disaster response authority, police commissioner of Ahmedabad, the director general (DG), Inspection and Safety of the Indian Air Force, special director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), and director of the Directorate of Forensic Science Services. Naidu said that the committee would have a 'holistic' approach. He, however, did not elaborate on the progress of the investigation.
Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad crash aftermath: Eight of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 planes have been inspected so far, says Aviation Minister Naidu
Eight of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft have so far been inspected following the directive issued Friday by aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for enhanced safety inspection of the aircraft type, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said Saturday. The minister, however, did not elaborate further on the checks. A senior government official told The Indian Express that the inspections so far have not revealed any issue or adverse observation. The DGCA's directive had come a day after an Air India 787-8 aircraft crashed moments after take-off from the Ahemdabad airport. The aircraft was operating a flight between Ahemdabad and London Gatwick and had 242 people on board. All but one of those on board perished in the crash. There were several casualties on the ground as well. 'As a preventive measure DGCA, hereby direct M/S Air India to carry out following additional maintenance actions on B787-8/9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices,' the DGCA order said, listing a number of technical checks. Air India had a total of 34 Boeing 787 aircraft before the Ahemdabad crash. Now it has 26 787-8 aircraft and seven 787-9 planes. These enhanced checks include a one-time pre-departure check of aircraft systems and parameters including fuel parameters monitoring and associated system, cabin air compressor and associated systems, electronic engine control system, engine fuel driven actuator and oil system, hydraulic system serviceability, and take-off parameters. Additionally, flight control inspection is to be introduced in transit inspection till further notice. Power assurance checks have also been mandated. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the crash, while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would also be involved in the detailed probe, given that the aircraft is manufactured by an American company—Boeing—and was manufactured in the US. A UK AAIB team is also going to help with the investigation, and so are Boeing and other major component manufacturers like GE (engine manufacturer). According to aircraft accident investigation protocol, the probe report should be finalised within a year. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary demands judicial probe into Ahmedabad Air India plane crash: 'They don't use it for fun'
Following the tragic plane crash of Air India flight 171 near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said that with privatisation of air travel, there is a need for better safety and security checks in aircraft. The Congress leader also demanded an unbiased judicial probe into the incident. The Congress leader also said that the plane which crashed, a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, has faced technical problems before. "Today air travel is not just a luxury, but a necessity. People don't use it for fun, but for their work, which has increased the number of passengers too. That is why, with this, we should be paying more attention to the safety and security of aircraft. Dreamliner 787 was already having a technical snag, reportedly. It was also told that in 2024 itself, the technical snags will be fixed," the Congress leader told ANI here. "On one hand, we are privatising air travel and thus we need to pay more attention to the safety. Now, experts will come from America, Europe, the Black Box will be opened, everything will happen. But I want to say that before the incident even happened, if we had been even more careful then could we have prevented this? We need to find that out," Chowdhary said. "There should be an unbiased judicial probe in this matter, and this is my demand to the government," he added. Following the crash, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered enhanced safety inspections on Air India's Boeing 787-8/9 fleet. As a preventive measure, the DGCA has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance actions on B787-8/9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect, in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices. On Thursday, the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI 171, was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff. There were 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. There was only one survivor from the crash, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin who sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment. The AAIB has launched a full-scale investigation into the crash, with over 40 staff from the Gujarat State Government joining efforts to support the Ministry of Civil Aviation teams on the ground.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Air India plane flew Paris-Delhi, Delhi-Ahmedabad without issues before crash: Aviation ministry
The aviation ministry on Saturday held its first press briefing on the Ahmedabad plane crash, an incident in which an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London plummeted into a hostel building shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and dozens others on ground. Secretary, civil aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha said during the press briefing that the Air India B787-8 aircraft that crashed on Thursday had flown Paris-Delhi, and Delhi-Ahmedabad without any issues before the crash. Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, who was present at the press briefing, said decoding of black box will provide in-depth insight into what happened moments before the plane crash. Investigators on Friday recovered a black box of the London-bound Air India plane from the rooftop of a medical college hostel it crashed into. The Union civil aviation minister also said during the press briefing that India has very strict safety standards, adding that the incident made authorities feel there is a need to do an extended surveillance into the Boeing 787 Series. "DGCA has also given an order to do the extended surveillance for the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that 8 have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done," the minister said.
