Air India crash: DGCA orders enhanced safety inspection of airline’s Boeing 787 fleet

Aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on Friday directed Air India to carry out the additional maintenance actions on Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace’s Genx engines with immediate effect.

In an order titled “Enhanced Safety Inspection on Boeing 787-8/9 fleet of M/s Air India”, the aviation watchdog said these maintenance actions have to be carried out in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices as a preventive measure.

Here are the actions ordered by DGCA:

1.  One-time check before departure of flight from India w.e.f 15.06.2025 (00:00 Hrs) onwards:

a) Inspection of Fuel Parameter Monitoring and associated system checks.

b) Inspection of cabin air compressor and associated systems.

c) Electronic Engine Control – System Test.

d) Engine Fuel Driven Actuator – Operational Test and oil system check.

e) Serviceability check of Hydraulic system.

f) Review of Take-off parameters.

2.  ‘Flight Control Inspection’ to be introduced in transit inspection till further notice.

3.  Power assurance checks to be carried out within two weeks.

4. Closure of maintenance action based upon the review of repetitive snags during the last 15 days on B787-8/9 aircraft at the earliest.

The report of the above checks is to be submitted to DGCA for review, wrote an order signed by Jayanta Ghosh, Director of Airworthiness, Deputy Director General, DGCA.

Air India was penalised by the DGCA several times last year. In August 2024, DGCA had imposed a financial penalty of ₹90 lakh on Air India for operating a flight with "unqualified" crew members. The incident involved pairing a non-trainer line captain with a first officer who was not released for line duty. Additionally, the director of operations and the director of training at Air India were fined ₹6 lakh and ₹3 lakh, respectively. This issue was brought to the DGCA's attention through a voluntary report submitted by the airline on July 10, 2024.

Earlier in 2024, the regulator served a show-cause notice to Air India after two separate flights faced prolonged delays during which passengers endured inadequate cabin cooling. The aviation regulator expressed concern over the airline’s repeated inability to ensure passenger comfort.

In March 2024, Air India was fined ₹80 lakh for violating flight duty time limitation (FDTL) regulations, which are intended to minimize fatigue-related risks by ensuring crew members receive sufficient rest.

A month earlier, in February 2024, the DGCA had issued a show-cause notice to the Tata Group-owned airline over an incident involving a shortage of wheelchairs. The lapse allegedly led to the death of an elderly passenger from a heart attack, after he and his wife were forced to walk approximately 1.5 km from the aircraft to the immigration area. The airline was subsequently penalised ₹30 lakh.

In January 2024, the airline was penalised ₹30 lakh for failing to ensure an adequate number of trained pilots were available to handle landings in low-visibility conditions.