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DGCA Rules Out Any Major Safety Concern With Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Five days after the fatal crash of the Air India plane in Ahmedabad, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that its increased surveillance of the Air India's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concern. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a release that the DGCA held a high-level meeting with senior officials of Air India and Air India Express, who currently operate over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors.
The ministry said that the meeting was convened to review the operational robustness of the airlines and ensure continued compliance with safety and passenger service regulations. The DGCA reviewed recent operational data for Air India's wide-body operations, with specific attention to the Boeing 787 fleet.
"The recent surveillance conducted on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards. The 'Enhanced Safety Inspection' mandated under Order Para 1 is applicable to the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft. Of these, 4 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities," said the Ministry.
It further added that as of 17 June 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check. "An additional 2 aircraft are planned for completion, with 1 more scheduled for tomorrow. The remaining 6 aircraft include 2 aircraft, which are presently AOG at Delhi. The checks on these two will be carried out post-declaration of serviceability and prior to their return to service. The remaining 4 aircraft currently under MRO will undergo the mandated check prior to their release from the respective maintenance hangars," said the Ministry.
According to the ministry, the DGCA raised concerns regarding recent maintenance-related issues reported by Air India. "The airline was advised to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations," it said.
The DGCA also asked the airlines to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimize disruptions. "The operators were reminded of their obligations to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations. Emphasis was placed on effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channels," it said.
Air India Ahmedabad to London flight AI171 crashed on June 12 killing 241 of the 242 onboard. The plane crashed seconds after the take-off, hitting a medical college mess building, killing at least 25-30 more people including medical students and injuring dozens.
