Latest news with #FAA
Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Fuel switch check mandated by DGCA: How many Boeing 787, 737 aircraft active in India
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday ordered the checking of fuel switch locking systems in the Boeing 787 and 737 planes of all airlines operating in the country. This brings into focus the numbers and spread of these planes in their fleets. The Air India Group has already initiated inspection of the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft.(HT_PRINT) The aviation watchdog's direction came after a preliminary probe report on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, in which 260 people died, spotlighted the fuel switches. The report said one of the pilots asked the other about why the fuel was 'cut off', to which the other said he had not done that. It remains to be investigated how the switches moved, if they did. The US aviation watchdog had in 2018 advised ailrlines to check the locking system that prevents accidental use of the switches. But Air India said it did not check it because the suggestion was 'advisory' and 'not mandatory'. Now with the DGCA stepping into mandate the check, here are some key numbers: At present, there are over 150 Boeing 737 and 787 planes operational in India. The domestic airlines operating the models are Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo. Indigo has seven B737 Max 8 and one B787-9 in its fleet, all of these being on either wet or damp lease. A wet lease means the plane, all crew and other staff, while a damp lease includes the plane and flight crew, but not cabin crew. Being on lease, these planes are not registered in India and therefore, would not be subject to DGCA's directive. Air India has 33 wide-body Boeing 787 planes, and Air India Express has around 75 narrow-body 737s. The Air India Group has already initiated inspection of the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft. The checks for 737s are almost complete while half of the 787s have also been inspected, PTI quoted sources as saying. Further, the DGCA on Monday said that it had learnt that several international as well as domestic carriers had launched inspections of their aircraft as per FAA's SAIB. Fuel switch flagged by US FAA in 2018 The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel switch locking system in some Boeing models, including 787 and 737, in 2018. The FAA's Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin had highlighted the issue, but did not issue a directive, thus sparking no sparking no safety concerns. In its order on Monday, though, the DGCA stated, "... all airline operators of the affected aircraft are hereby advised to complete the inspection... no later than 21st July 2025." The probe report into the June 12 crash had stated that fuel supply to both engines in AI-171 was cut off within a second.
Al Arabiya
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
New York governor wants Trump to take action on drone attack risks
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called on the White House to take action to address risks of drone attacks on the United States, citing a series of incidents last year and their use in international military operations. 'An attack against strategic military and critical infrastructure in New York poses an urgent danger to the United States,' Hochul said in a letter to President Donald Trump made public Monday. 'The reality is that the federal government is unprepared and poorly postured to detect and mitigate (drone) threats and states are hamstrung by a lack of legislative authority and action by the Federal Aviation Administration.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
India's aviation regulator has ordered the country's airlines to inspect fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes, after their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in June. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the order comes follows Indian and international airlines already starting to carry out their own checks. It comes after the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe. The safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster found fuel to the engines of the plane involved cut off moments after take-off. The disaster involving London-bound Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade. Since the publication of the preliminary report on Saturday a number of different stakeholders, both in India and internationally have taken action and issued statements in response to it. What we know so far about Air India crash investigation In its order, India's aviation regulator has asked for checks to be carried out by 21 July, noting that "strict adherence to the timeline is essential to ensure continued airworthiness and safety of operations". The checks being requested are in line with a 2018 advisory by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US's aviation authority, which was referenced in the preliminary report. The 2018 advisory urged - but did not mandate - operators of Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cut-off switches to ensure they could not be moved by accident. Air India had not carried out those inspections because they were not mandatory, the AAIB said in its preliminary investigation. The DGCA has now ordered airlines to carry out the checks and report back. In its response to the report, the FAA said the 2018 advisory was "was based on reports that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged" - but added that it does not believe this makes the planes unsafe. Boeing fuel switches safe, regulator says after Air India crash Separately on Monday, a group representing Indian airline pilots defended the flight's crew. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association said staff on board had "acted in line with their training and responsibilities under challenging conditions and the pilots shouldn't be vilified based on conjecture". The preliminary report, published by the India Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) on Saturday, said the switches on Flight 171 controlling fuel flow to the jet's engines had been moved from "run" to the "cut-off" position, hampering the thrust of the plane. In recovered cockpit voice recordings, the report said one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so". The preliminary report states its role is "not to apportion blame or liability". Also on Monday, the Reuters news agency reported that South Korea was waiting to order all airlines in the country which operate Boeing jets to examine fuel switches.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India orders its airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
By Abhijith Ganapavaram NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India on Monday ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models, while South Korea said it would order a similar measure, as scrutiny intensified of fuel switch locks at the centre of an investigation into a deadly Air India crash. The moves by India and South Korea came despite the planemaker and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration telling airlines and regulators in recent days that the fuel switch locks on Boeing jets are safe. The locks have come under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet, which killed 260 people. A preliminary report found that the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report noted a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models including the 787 to inspect the locking feature of fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it had issued an order to investigate locks on several Boeing models including 787s and 737s, after several Indian and international airlines began making their own inspections of fuel switches. The regulator oversees the world's third-largest and fastest-growing aviation market and its move raises the stakes for Boeing, whose aircraft are used by three of the country's four largest airlines. A spokesperson for the South Korean transport ministry said checks there were in line with the 2018 advisory from the FAA, but did not give a timeline for them. Boeing referred Reuters' questions to the FAA, which was not immediately available to comment outside regular hours. The company's shares were up 1.4% in U.S. premarket trading. Some other global airlines were weighing their own inspections or had begun their own checks. In a statement, Japan's JAL said safety was its top priority, adding, "We are closely monitoring the investigation into the incident and will implement any necessary inspections based on its findings." Over the weekend, Air India Group started checking the locking mechanism on the fuel switches of its Boeing 787 and 737 fleets and has discovered no problems yet, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. About half the group's 787s have been inspected and nearly all its 737s, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Inspections were set to be completed in the next day or two. On Sunday, citing a document and sources, Reuters reported that the planemaker and the FAA had privately issued notifications to airlines and regulators that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes were safe and checks were not required. The Air India crash preliminary report said the airline had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections as the FAA's 2018 advisory was not a mandate. It also said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the crash was far from over and it was unwise to jump to premature conclusions, following the release of the preliminary report. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
DGCA asks all airlines to complete Boeing fuel control switches inspection within one week
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all airlines with Boeing aircraft in their fleet to complete inspections of their fuel control switches by July 17. The directive follows a preliminary probe report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday. The directive cited a December 2018 order by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning of the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on Boeing planes. The order by DGCA states the FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) number: NM-18-33 dated 17 December 2018, regarding the potential for disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on Boeing Company Model 717-200 airplanes, Model 737-700, -7000, -800, and -900ER series airplanes, Model 737-8 and -9 airplanes, Model 747-400, -400D, -400F, -8, and -BF series airplanes; Model 757-200, -200CB, -200PF, and -300 series airplanes, Model 767-200, -300, -300F, -400ER, and -20 series airplanes; Model 787-8, -9, and -10 airplanes, Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes, and Model MD-90-30 airplanes.
