'Sacked for alerting Boeing malfunctions': Air India whistle blowers claim technical glitch flagged a year before Ahmedabad crash
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Two whistle blowers, senior Air India flight attendants, in a letter have alleged that a technical problem with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flagged by them to the airline, a year before the deadly Ahmedabad crash that killed 241 of 242 onboard, according to a TOI report.The two attendants have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming they were terminated from service by the airline after they refused to change their statement about a technical problem with a Boeing 787 door last year, as per the report.As per the letter quoted by ToI, the two alleged that the Dreamliner's door had malfunctioned as the slide raft deployed, though the door was opened in the "manual mode". Slide rafts deploy when a door is opened in "armed" or "automatic mode". As per the report, the incident had occurred on May 14, 2024, after the Mumbai-London B787 (VT-ANQ) operating flight AI-129 docked at Heathrow and the passengers disembarked. Accordingly, the pilots and crew gathered at door L4 last year in May. The two flight attendants, responsible for door opening, carried out the checklist to confirm it was in the manual position, said the letter. But the slide raft deployed when the door was opened.The incident, they say, was initially corroborated in writing by the pilot and cabin-in-charge. "However, to our utter shock and surprise when we told (the AI management) the truth that the door was in manual position when opened, we were threatened with termination," the letter alleged on Wednesday."We refused to change our statements despite considerable pressure exerted on us by higher authorities," the letter alleged, naming three officials. "However later the commander changed his statement by stating that he was not looking when the door was opened," it alleged.The letter alleges Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suppressed the May 14, 2024, incident and other similar occurrences involving Dreamliners. The crew claim DGCA launched only an "informal inquiry" despite the gravity of safety issues raised, and no report has been shared since.They also allege key witnesses present during the slide deployment incident were deliberately excluded from the probe. Both crew members have served Air India for over two decades. Their complaint was filed with Central Vigilance Commission last year.The crashed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was "well-maintained" with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025, said Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Thursday.In a message to flyers, the Air India chief also said the 15 per cent reduction in Air India's widebody fleet operations for the next few weeks is a temporary move."The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," he said.Campbell said that following the June 12 crash and as directed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the airline has been conducting thorough safety inspections on its 33 Boeing 787 aircraft.So far, inspections have been completed on 26 aircraft and these have been cleared for service, he said and added that the remaining aircraft are currently in planned maintenance and will have these additional checks done before being released into service.'Following the review, the DGCA has confirmed that Air India Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards,' he said.While DGCA raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues at Air India and directed airline to boost inter-department coordination, it said that the surveillance of the airline's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns in the wake of the fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad last week. On June 13, a day after the crash , the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, comprising 26 787-8s and seven 787-9s.(with TOI inputs)
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