Air India grounds a Boeing 787 after fuel control switch defect alert
Fault brings back memories of June 2025 crash of Flight AI-171 operating from Ahmedabad to London, which resulted in the death of 260 people
An Air India pilot on Monday flagged a possible defect with the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, and the matter has been reported to aviation watchdog DGCA. The aircraft operated the flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru, and it landed at Bengaluru on Monday morning.
"After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to get the pilot's concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues," an Air India statement said.
The airline added that safety remains its top priority.
Parallels with Ahmedabad crash
The incident assumes significance against the backdrop of concerns in certain quarters about the functioning of the fuel control switch in the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner that crashed last June.
The Federal has produced a series of investigative reports on this.
In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash.
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In its preliminary report on the crash that was released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off.
DGCA directive
The DGCA issued a directive on July 14, 2025. The order required all airlines operating Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft to inspect the locking mechanisms of their fuel control switches.
The checks were mandated to be completed by July 21, after the crash report suggested that the fuel switches on the aircraft may have moved to the cut-off position shortly after take-off. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report had said.
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Air India had begun voluntary inspections of the fuel control switches on July 12, ahead of the regulator’s deadline. The airline completed the mandated checks on all its Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft by July 22.
Air India reported that no issues were detected with the fuel control switch locking mechanisms during the inspections and that compliance with the DGCA’s directive was subsequently communicated to the regulator.