Air India's Boeing 787 aircraft have multiple defects, halt flights, pilots' union issues three demands

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FPI) has written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, demanding that all Boeing 787 aircraft be grounded in light of the technical problems affecting flights in recent months. The pilot union has placed three demands before the government for the safe and smooth operation of flights powered by 787 engines.

FIP, explaining the reason behind this move, said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently initiated a special audit due to the frequent faults and maintenance issues with Air India aircraft.

This letter comes just days after FIP sent a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in which the organization requested the aviation safety regulator to conduct a detailed inspection and inspection of the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft operating in India.

It should be noted that on October 4th, an Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 flight from Amritsar to Birmingham had to be diverted to the UK after its emergency turbine—the Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—suddenly activated during landing. This incident occurred on flight number AI117, which was about to reach Birmingham.

A few days later, on October 9th, another Air India flight from Vienna, Austria, to New Delhi had to be diverted to Dubai due to a possible technical fault. After investigation, the flight took off again from Dubai Airport at 8:45 am (Indian time) and arrived in New Delhi.

In a letter to the government, the FIP cited both incidents, stating that serious technical problems were encountered. The autopilot system suddenly failed, causing multiple technical malfunctions. Multiple systems on the aircraft—such as the autopilot, ILS (Instrument Landing System), flight directors (FDs), and flight control systems—were affected, resulting in the aircraft losing its ability to perform an autolanding.

Referring to past incidents

FIP also drew the government's attention to the Air India plane crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12th. The organization stated that defects occurring in B-787 aircraft in the country are not being thoroughly investigated, compromising air safety.

They stated, "We once again request the Honorable Minister to immediately ground all Air India B-787 aircraft and thoroughly inspect their electrical systems, especially the aircraft. The DGCA should conduct a special audit of these aircraft, as the increasing number of technical defects is now posing a serious threat to air safety."

FIP also claimed that such incidents have increased since the maintenance of Air India aircraft has been handed over to new engineers. The organization stated that such technical problems were rare when AIESL (Air India Engineering Services Limited) was handling the maintenance work.

Three Key Demands of the FIP

1. Thorough Investigation: A thorough and impartial investigation should be conducted into the recent incidents involving Air India flights AI-117 and AI-154.

2. Grounding: All Air India Boeing-787 aircraft should be temporarily grounded and a detailed investigation should be conducted into the recurring technical faults, including their electrical systems.

3. Special Audit: A special audit of Air India should be conducted by senior officials from the Flight Standards Directorate (FSD) and the Air Safety and Airworthiness Department of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This should specifically include an investigation into the MEL release and the recurring technical faults on Boeing-787 aircraft.

Air India's Response

Tata Group-owned Air India has completely denied the claims of an electrical failure on flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi on October 4. In a statement, Air India said that on October 4, 2025, during final approach, flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was detected open. The crew checked all electrical and hydraulic parameters. The aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport, and there were no problems with the electrical or control systems during the flight. The aircraft was then temporarily grounded for inspection.

Air India stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the RAT opening was neither due to a technical fault nor pilot error. According to Boeing's report, it was "uncommanded," a phenomenon that has occurred previously on other airlines. Air India stated that after the inspection, the aircraft was cleared for service and flew from Birmingham to Delhi on October 5. The statement added that the safety of passengers and crew is always Air India's top priority.