The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged the Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu to immediately ground all Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by Air India, citing repeated technical failures and safety risks.
In a letter accessed by Hindustan Times, the pilots’ association called for a comprehensive inspection of all Boeing 787s in India, particularly their electrical systems, following multiple recent malfunctions.
“After the crash of AI-171, there have been several failures on Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft. Air travel safety is being compromised by not investigating these issues thoroughly. We once again appeal to ground all B-787s of Air India for complete checks, especially of the electrical systems,” the letter stated.
The FIP cited two recent incidents:
- October 4 – Air India flight AI-117 experienced a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment during approach at Birmingham.
- October 9 – Air India flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi suffered multiple malfunctions and was diverted to Dubai.
The pilots’ body made three key demands to the minister:
Investigate both recent incidents (AI-117 and AI-154).
Ground and thoroughly inspect all Air India Boeing 787 aircraft for recurring technical faults.
Conduct a special safety audit of Air India by senior officials from the DGCA’s Flight Safety Directorate, Air Safety, and Airworthiness divisions.
Meanwhile, Minister Naidu chaired the monthly review meeting with domestic airlines on Friday, focusing on operational safety and passenger service quality. Representatives from Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India Express, Alliance Air, Fly91, FlyBig, and IndiaOne Air attended the session.
According to a media report, Bureau release, the minister stressed strict compliance with safety standards and urged airlines to strengthen passenger facilitation and service practices.