Air India Chairman says flight that crashed had clean engine history

June 18 (Reuters) - Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Wednesday that Air India's Boeing Dreamliner flight that crashed with 242 people on board last week had a clean engine history.
In an interview with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023.
The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's (GE.N), opens new tab GEnx engines.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport south of London began losing altitude seconds after takeoff from India's Ahmedabad. All but one of the passengers were killed in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, with around 30 fatalities on the ground.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

NBC News

13 hours ago

• NBC News

Tesla inks first deal to build China's largest grid-scale battery power plant

Tesla has inked its first deal to build a grid-scale battery power plant in China amid a strained trading relationship between Beijing and Washington. The U.S. company posted on the Chinese social media service Weibo that the project would be the largest of its kind in China when completed. Utility-scale battery energy storage systems help electricity grids keep supply and demand in balance. They are increasingly needed to bridge the supply-demand mismatch caused by intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind. Chinese media outlet Yicai first reported that the deal, worth 4 billion yuan ($556 million), had been signed by Tesla, the local government of Shanghai and financing firm China Kangfu International Leasing, according to the Reuters news agency. Tesla said its battery factory in Shanghai had produced more than 100 Megapacks — the battery designed for utility-scale deployment — in the first quarter of this year. One Megapack can provide up to 1 megawatt of power for four hours. 'The grid-side energy storage power station is a 'smart regulator' for urban electricity, which can flexibly adjust grid resources,' Tesla said on Weibo, according to a Google translation. This would 'effectively solve the pressure of urban power supply and ensure the safe, stable and efficient electricity demand of the city,' it added. 'After completion, this project is expected to become the largest grid-side energy storage project in China.' According to the company's website, each Megapack retails for just under $1 million in the U.S. Pricing for China was unavailable. The deal is significant for Tesla, as China's CATL and carmaker BYD compete with similar products. The two Chinese companies have made significant inroads in battery development and manufacturing, with the former holding about 40% of the global market share. CATL was also expected to supply battery cells and packs that are used in Tesla's Megapacks, according to a Reuters news source. Tesla's deal with a Chinese local authority is also significant as it comes after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on imports from China, straining the geopolitical relationship between the world's two largest economies. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk was also a close ally of President Trump during the initial stages of the trade war, further complicating the business outlook for U.S. automakers in China. The demand for grid-scale battery installation, however, is significant in China. In May last year, Beijing set a new target to add nearly 5 gigawatts of battery-powered electricity supply by the end of 2025, bringing the total capacity to 40 gigawatts. Tesla has also been exporting its Megapacks to Europe and Asia from its Shanghai plant to meet global demand. Capacity for global battery energy storage systems rose 42 gigawatts in 2023, nearly doubling the total increase in capacity observed in the previous year, according to the International Energy Agency.

Auto Blog

a day ago

• Auto Blog

How China Is Sparking a Battery Crisis

The auto industry faces yet another supply chain issue stemming from China Antimony is a material critical to lead-acid battery manufacturing, and China's export restrictions on this critical mineral, implemented last summer, have battery makers under pressure. Lead-acid batteries in the automotive industry are most commonly found in gas-powered vehicles and are used for functions like engine starts and powering low-voltage instruments such as dashboard displays. Antimony is also used in EV lead-acid batteries and flame-retardant materials. 0:03 / 0:09 Walmart is selling a 'heavy duty' $89 step ladder for $48, and shoppers say it's 'sturdy and secure' Watch More According to Reuters, Antimony now costs more than $60,000 per metric ton, which is more than quadruple its year-over-year price. In 2024, China produced 60% of the world's antimony supply, and several countries that mine the mineral process it in China. Beijing added antimony to its export control list last September, and companies now need a license for overseas deals. Additionally, China banned U.S. antimony exports in December, which remains in effect. China's global antimony exports are now a third of last year's. Connecting jumper cables to a lead-acid car battery — Source: Getty How is the U.S. responding? U.S. companies are responding with gray market antimony purchases or buying at elevated prices from sellers who pre-accumulated stockpiles. Last week, China and the U.S. reached a deal on rare earth exports, which the automotive industry heavily relies on for magnets used in several vehicle parts, but antimony doesn't appear to have been discussed between the two countries. Like antimony, China has a monopoly on rare earths, but at a higher percentage than antimony, with 70% of mining and 90% of processing occurring domestically. Steve Christensen, executive director of the U.S.-based Responsible Battery Coalition, labeled the antimony situation a national emergency and said Western countries have become 'Overly reliant on a single geopolitical adversary for minerals foundational to both national defense and civilian life,' Reuters reports. Christensen added: 'For the U.S., the path forward must include onshoring processing capacity, scaling domestic recycling, and building strategic mineral alliances with trusted partners. Otherwise, this crisis will repeat itself again and again.' Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Clarios, a U.S.-based global leader in battery manufacturing, disclosed last month that it was considering locations for a critical minerals processing and recovery plant in the U.S. that would extract antimony, among other minerals. The facility would cost up to $1.9 billion, and Indiana, Texas, and Utah are emerging as potential locations. Antimony is listed by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a mineral critical to the U.S. economy and national security. The U.S. Antimony market size is expected to rise from $270 million in 2024 to $550 million by 2035, with a 6.82% growth rate, according to Market Research Future. Overall, antimony demand is around 230,000-240,000 tons a year, with lead-acid batteries accounting for about a third of that, Reuters reports using data from consultancy Project Blue. Antimony rock — Source: Getty Final thoughts Antimony remains essential in the automotive industry as more car manufacturers extend timelines for gas-powered vehicle production and use the critical mineral in the growing EV segment. Securing a stable supply of antimony and rare earths for magnets is vital in avoiding future bottlenecks from countries like China. If the U.S. doesn't diversify its antimony supply chains and help facilitate competition within the market, production costs could continue to increase at a time when car prices are already high, and segments like EVs could experience slowed growth. About the Author Cody Carlson View Profile

Reuters

2 days ago

• Reuters

NTSB wants action on CFM LEAP-1B engines over smoke entering cockpit

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent safety recommendation Wednesday to address the possibility of smoke entering the cockpit or cabin of Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab or Airbus airplanes equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines. The NTSB also recommended evaluating the potential for the same issue with LEAP-1A and -1C engines. The recommendation comes after two incidents involving a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab 737 MAX in 2023. The NTSB wants the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that operators inform flight crews of airplanes equipped with the affected engines. CFM LEAP engines are used on variants of Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. CFM, the world's largest engine maker by units sold, is co-owned by GE Aerospace (GE.N), opens new tab and Safran ( opens new tab.