Pilots’ Body Urges Government to Ground All Air India Boeing 787s After Fresh Technical Snags
New Delhi: Amid growing concerns over recurring technical malfunctions, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Friday urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to ground all Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft and conduct a comprehensive inspection of their electrical systems, alongside a special audit of the airline’s maintenance practices.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, the FIP — which represents over 5,500 pilots — cited two serious technical incidents within a week involving Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet.
The pilots’ association warned that continued operation of these aircraft without exhaustive checks could pose grave risks to flight safety, particularly in light of the fatal Ahmedabad crash of Air India Flight AI-171 on June 12, which killed 260 people.
Fresh Incidents Raise Alarm
The latest letter follows Thursday’s in-flight emergency involving Air India flight AI154, operated by a Boeing 787-8 aircraft registered as VT-ANC, on its route from Vienna to Delhi.
The flight was diverted to Dubai after what the FIP described as a major electrical malfunction that caused the aircraft’s autopilot system to fail mid-air.
According to the association, the malfunction triggered a cascade of system failures: The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems, including the Autopilot, Instrument Landing System (ILS), Flight Directors (FDs), and Flight Control System degradation with no Autoland capability.
The pilots were forced to fly manually at night and divert to Dubai,” the FIP’s letter stated.
Air India, however, categorically denied that there had been an electrical failure. In an official statement, the airline said the light AI154 operating from Vienna to Delhi on 9 October was diverted to Dubai due to a technical issue.
The aircraft landed safely, underwent checks, and later departed for Delhi. All passengers were kept informed and provided refreshments. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”
The incident came just five days after another Air India Boeing 787-8, registered as VT-ANO, operating flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, experienced an uncommanded deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — a last-resort emergency power device that typically deploys only in extreme situations such as total electrical or hydraulic failure.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently investigating the cause of that rare event, as accidental RAT deployment is exceedingly uncommon.
Crash Legacy and Safety Concerns
The FIP’s letter underscored that since the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, there has been a spike in Boeing 787-related technical snags, particularly involving electrical systems.
The grouping accused the airline of compromising air safety by failing to properly investigate the root causes of these failures.
Two incidents of electrical malfunctions in such a short span clearly indicate poor serviceability and lack of preventive maintenance,” the letter warned.
The FIP also drew attention to maintenance lapses, alleging that the quality of aircraft servicing has deteriorated since Air India began transitioning its engineering work from the government-owned AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) to its own in-house team of newly hired engineers.
The number of snags was far less when AIESL was handling maintenance. The problems have been rising ever since newly hired in-house engineers began maintaining Air India aircraft,” the letter claimed.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Next Steps
A senior DGCA official confirmed that data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) of flight AI154 would be retrieved and analyzed in Delhi to determine the precise sequence of system failures.
The aircraft was reportedly cruising at 39,000 feet when the autopilot disengaged and several systems failed.
In its appeal to the Civil Aviation Minister, the FIP outlined three urgent measures:
Comprehensive investigations into both incidents involving flights AI117 and AI154.
Immediate grounding of all Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft until a full inspection of their electrical and flight control systems is completed.
A special audit of Air India’s overall maintenance and safety protocols, to be conducted by senior officials of the DGCA’s Flight Standards Directorate (FSD), Air Safety, and Airworthiness departments.
The letter also called for a review of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) clearances granted to Air India aircraft and an audit of all repetitive technical snags affecting the Boeing 787 fleet.
Government’s Response Awaited
While the MoCA and DGCA have yet to issue an official response to the FIP’s demands, the mounting concerns over recurring electrical and flight control issues on Air India’s Dreamliner fleet have sparked renewed debate over aviation safety standards, post-privatisation maintenance practices, and oversight mechanisms in India’s civil aviation sector.
Industry experts say that until the root cause of these repeated malfunctions is identified, continued operations of the affected aircraft could risk passenger confidence and flight safety.
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