In the aftermath of the fatal Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which killed 241 people and injured several more, India’s aviation regulator has taken a hard look at the airline’s Boeing 787 operations. Since the tragedy, 66 flights involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner have been cancelled, prompting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to step in with heightened safety checks and a review of operational practices.
Surveillance and Safety Review Post-Crash
The DGCA has conducted a fresh round of inspections focusing on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, currently comprising 33 aircraft. In a high-level meeting with top executives from Air India and its low-cost arm Air India Express, the regulator reviewed recent safety data and operational procedures. While no immediate safety violations were found, the DGCA raised red flags over internal maintenance practices and coordination across departments. It advised the airline to streamline engineering and operations functions, ensure timely availability of spare parts, and prevent delays that inconvenience passengers.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed in a press release that recent surveillance did not uncover any serious technical issues, but emphasized the need for preventive action. The DGCA also directed Air India to enhance compliance and follow regulations strictly in light of maintenance complaints flagged in the recent past.
Air India’s 787 Fleet and Industry Impact
The aircraft involved in the crash—a Boeing 787-8 registered as VT-ANB—was 11.5 years old and had logged more than 41,000 flight hours. It was the first time globally that a Dreamliner suffered a fatal crash resulting in a hull loss, a serious classification indicating the total destruction of an aircraft.
Air India, which operates both B787-8 and B787-9 variants, inherited seven of the latter after the merger with Vistara. The rest of its 787 fleet, comprising 27 older B787-8 jets, are considered legacy aircraft. The first of these is expected to undergo retrofitting starting July.
IndiGo, alongside Air India, is the only other Indian carrier currently flying Boeing 787 aircraft. With over 1,100 Dreamliners in service globally and an average aircraft age of 7.5 years, this incident has raised serious concerns about aging fleets and their upkeep in India’s growing aviation sector.
