India’s aviation regulator has ordered sweeping safety inspections on all Boeing Dreamliner aircraft operated by Air India, following a devastating crash in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of at least 265 people.
The incident, involving a Boeing 787 aircraft on the Ahmedabad–London route, has cast a fresh spotlight on the safety of the American-made Dreamliners.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that beginning Sunday, 15 June, all aircraft under Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet will undergo an “enhanced safety inspection.”
The measures come amid mounting public concern and technical scrutiny of the aircraft’s reliability.
The DGCA directive outlines a range of mandatory inspections, focusing on critical flight and engine systems. These include:
Monitoring of fuel parameters and associated systems
Inspection of the cabin air compressor system
Testing of the electronic engine control system
Operational test of engine fuel-driven actuators and oil systems
Serviceability checks of the hydraulic systems
Review of aircraft take-off parameters
Besides, power assurance checks are to be carried out within two weeks, while a new ‘Flight Control Inspection’ protocol will be introduced. The aviation body has also directed an immediate review of all repetitive snags reported in Dreamliner operations over the past 15 days. Maintenance teams have been instructed to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency.
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This series of actions follows the fatal crash of Air India Flight 171, which slammed into a residential hostel for doctors shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Of the passengers and crew on board, only one person survived, marking the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 since the aircraft entered commercial service in 2011.
The aircraft involved was powered by General Electric’s GenX engines, which will now be subject to additional checks as part of the safety campaign.
While the cause of the crash remains under investigation, the spotlight has inevitably returned to long-standing concerns about the Dreamliner’s structural integrity. In 2024, a Boeing engineer raised alarms over potential issues in the aircraft’s design and manufacturing, but no direct link has yet been established between those warnings and the recent Air India disaster.
In a brief statement, Boeing said it is "in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171" and that it "stands ready to support them" through the ongoing investigation and inspection process.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has assured the public that safety remains the paramount priority, and it will review all inspection reports submitted by Air India as part of its regulatory oversight.
As the aviation community awaits the findings of the crash probe, the incident has reignited debate about Boeing’s quality control processes and Air India’s maintenance standards, at a time when both the airline and the manufacturer are under increasing global scrutiny.
Source: With inputs from India today