Latest news with #GEnx
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Crashed jet had clean engine history: Air India chairman
Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Wednesday that the Boeing Dreamliner that crashed with 242 people on board last week had a clean engine history, revealing that the right engine was new while the left had been recently serviced, even as the airline announced a 15% reduction in international widebody services to stabilize operations. In an interview with 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 and was due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. 'Both the engine histories are clean,' he said, adding that the aircraft 'has a clean history.' The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GEnx engines. Chandrasekaran said he expects preliminary findings from the crash investigation within 30 days, while calling for complete transparency in the probe. 'I think they will give a preliminary finding in 30 days. After that, I don't know when the final finding will be,' he said. 'We need a very transparent communication of the findings. Everyone needs to know. I need to know. You need to know. The families need to know whenever it is done,' Chandrasekaran emphasized, adding that 'Unless or otherwise we know what happened, there is no hope to fix it so that it doesn't happen again.' The chairman said he was confident that 'the black box and the recorders will definitely tell the story. And so we just have to wait for that' rather than engage in speculation. Speaking about the pilots, the chairman said that Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, the first officer Clive Kundar had more than 3400 hours of flying experience. 'What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that,' he said. The disclosure comes as Air India announced sweeping cuts to its international operations, citing a combination of factors including ongoing safety inspections, geopolitical tensions, and what it described as a 'necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots.' 'Due to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfew in the airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia, the ongoing enhanced safety inspections, and also the necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots, there have been certain disruptions in our international operations over the last 6 days leading to a total of 83 cancellations,' Air India said in a statement. The airline said it would reduce international services on widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, with cuts implemented between now and June 20 and continuing until at least mid-July. 'This effectively adds to our reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions,' the carrier stated. As an added precaution, Air India will also undertake enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet, expanding inspections beyond the Dreamliner aircraft involved in last week's crash. Officials said mandated checks on 26 out of Air India's 27 operational Boeing 787 aircraft were completed, with the final aircraft expected to be cleared by Wednesday night. '26 B787s have undergone the mandatory one time check mandated by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on June 13. Checks on the final operational 787 is expected to be completed by tonight,' an official said. 'No issues were found in any of these aircraft during the checks.' Currently, the airline has 27 of its total 33 Boeing 787s that are operational, with the remaining six either grounded for maintenance or undergoing scheduled servicing. 'Out of total 33 aircraft, inspections have now been completed on 26 and these have been cleared for service, while inspection of the remainder will be complete in the coming days. The fact that 26 aircraft have been cleared gives reassurance in the safety measures and procedures that we follow,' Air India said. On Wednesday, Air India cancelled three flights, including two after passengers had already boarded. Flight AI-188 from Toronto to Delhi was cancelled after boarding due to extended maintenance and crew exceeding regulated flight duty limits. 'Passengers, who had already boarded the aircraft, were disembarked following cancellation of the flight,' the airline said. The DGCA ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft following the crash of Flight 171, which killed 241 people when it went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday. Since then, 66 Boeing 787-operated flights were cancelled between June 12 and June 17. The aircraft, bound for London with 242 people aboard, began losing altitude seconds after takeoff before crashing into buildings near Ahmedabad airport. Only one passenger survived, while approximately 30 people on the ground were also killed. Air India apologised to passengers affected by the curtailments and said it would inform them in advance while making 'best efforts to accommodate them on alternate flights.' The airline is offering passengers a choice to reschedule their travel without cost or receive a full refund.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Air India chairman says flight that crashed had clean engine history
A fire officer standing next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, in Ahmedabad, India, on June 13. PHOTO: REUTERS Air India chairman says flight that crashed had clean engine history NEW DELHI - Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on June 18 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, Mr 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 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. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
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.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Boeing 787's emergency-power system likely active before Air India crash: Report, Asia News
Investigators believe the Air India Boeing Dreamliner had its emergency-power generator operating when it crashed last week in India's Ahmedabad, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday (June 18) citing people familiar with the probe. Boeing said it will defer to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau for comment. Engine maker GE Aerospace did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. India's federal civil aviation ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' email seeking comment. Reuters couldn't immediately verify the WSJ report. The system, known as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), generates electricity and hydraulic pressure to ensure pilots can control the plane even if both engines fail. The preliminary finding raise questions about whether the plane's engines functioned properly during takeoff, the report said. The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GEnx engines. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people bound for Britain's Gatwick Airport began losing altitude seconds after takeoff. All but one passenger died in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, with around 30 ground fatalities. India's aviation safety watchdog said on Tuesday that surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet revealed no major safety concerns. [[nid:719019]]
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Air India flight to London cancelled because of ‘precautionary checks'
Flight AI159 was planned to depart Ahmedabad, India, at 1.10pm local time on Tuesday, and arrive at Gatwick airport at 6.25pm BST. Air India's website shows the flight was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes but was later cancelled. A flight from Gatwick to Amritsar, India, set to depart at 8pm BST was also axed. The cancelled flights were scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which is the same type of aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off at Ahmedabad on June 12. An Air India spokesperson said: 'Flight AI 159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick has been cancelled today due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed. 'We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination.' The airline said affected passengers are being offered hotel accommodation and full refunds or rescheduling. Last week's crash was one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. The Air India aircraft struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, 52 of whom were British. The sole surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the crash. Indian authority's ordered Air India to carry out additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines. The plane that crashed had two GEnx engines.
