'No major safety concerns', says DGCA on Air India Boeing planes; airline cancels 66 B787 flights after Ahmedabad crash
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said the aviation regulator reviewed the operations of Air India and Air India Express following the recent plane crash in Ahmedabad, and added that the surveillance of the airline's Boeing 787 planes did not reveal any major safety concern.
'Air India B787 aircraft and associated maintenance systems found to be compliant with existing safety standards,' the DGCA said.
However, the aviation watchdog said that it has raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues at Air India and directs the airline to boost inter-department coordination.
The DGCA stated that Air India has cancelled 66 flights to be operated with Boeing 787 between June 12 and June 17 after the Ahmedabad tragedy.
— The airline has been advised to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations.
— Air India and Air India Express have been asked to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimise disruptions. The impact of recent airspace closures, particularly over Iranian airspace, was reviewed.
— The regulator recommended the implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates. This is expected to enhance overall decision-making and reduce downstream disruptions.
— The DGCA said that Air India was reminded of its obligations under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements Section 3 Series M Part IV & V, to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations.
The regulator also emphasised effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channels to Air India.
— The recent surveillance conducted on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns, the DGCA confirmed. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards.
— Mandated 'Enhances Safety Inspection' was conducted on the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft, said the DGCA.
The aviation watchdog said that of these, 4 B787-8/9 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities.
As of 3pm on 17 June 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check, the DGCA noted.
— The DGCA also reviewed recent operational data for Air India's wide-body operations, with specific attention to the Boeing 787 fleet. During the review, it was found that 66 Air India B787 flights had been cancelled between 12 June to 17 June. Further, the airline also cancelled a total of 83 flights in the five days.
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