Air India Re-Affirms Commitment to Safety as Pilots Urge Grounding of All Air India Boeing 787 Aircrafts

Following the report of malfunctioning electronics in the AI-154, flying from Vienna to Delhi, that was diverted to Dubai on October 9 due to multiple system failures, including autopilot and flight controls, and AI-117 that had an unplanned deployment of its emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during landing at Birmingham on October 4, the Federation of Indian Pilots have demanded all Boeing 787 planes to be grounded.

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Responding to the demand, Air India has vehemently denied electric failure and has also claimed that the RAT deployment was neither due to electrical failure nor pilot action. This is in complete contradiction to the Federation of Indian Pilots’ report on the incident, which insisted that these are “indicators of poor serviceability by Air India.”

Addressing the matter, a spokesperson from Air India clarified that the re-routing of the flight was the result of a technical issue and the flight eventually reached Dubai without any further incidents.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has formally written to the Civil Aviation Ministry, urging the grounding of the entire Boeing 787 fleet operated by Air India, citing continuous electrical issues and safety concerns. FIP President Captain C.S. Randhawa urged a special audit of the electrical systems and overall maintenance conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

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The incidents come after the June crash of Air India flight AI-171, also a Boeing 787, which killed 260 people, raising fresh safety concerns. The RAT deployment on AI-117, considered an emergency measure in case of total electrical or hydraulic failure, was described by Air India as “uncommanded” and not resulting from any system fault or pilot error. The aircraft was grounded for checks but later cleared for service.

With 33 Boeing aircraft in its fleet, Air India asserts that safety remains its utmost priority. However, the pilots’ body remains firm in its demand for grounding until comprehensive inspections of suspected electrical issues are completed to ensure passenger safety.