New Delhi: Air India on Wednesday said it has completed precautionary inspections of the fuel control switches across its operational Boeing 787 fleet, with no issues identified during the checks.
The inspections were carried out following an incident in which a fuel control switch malfunctioned on a Boeing 787-8 operating a flight from London Heathrow to Bengaluru on Sunday.
Air India currently has 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, of which 28 are operational. In a statement, the airline said it had completed re-inspections of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) across all operational aircraft in the fleet.
“No issues were identified during these checks. The inspections were undertaken in an abundance of caution following an observation reported by one of our pilots. We acknowledge the regulator’s proactive oversight in conducting independent inspections and subsequently clearing the FCS,” the statement added.
The defect was reported by an Air India pilot on Monday after operating the London Heathrow–Bengaluru flight, leading the airline to ground the aircraft for checks. The flight, carrying over 200 passengers, had taken off on Sunday and landed in Bengaluru on Monday morning.
Air India also stated it will fully adhere to the aviation regulator’s guidance to circulate Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recommended operating procedures for the FCS to all crew members.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, said in its initial examination on Tuesday that the “apparently correct procedure” was not followed in operating the fuel control switch and instructed the airline to ensure strict compliance with the proper procedures.
The functioning of the fuel control switch remains under scrutiny following the crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 in June last year, which killed 260 people. The preliminary probe report had noted that the aircraft’s fuel supply was cut off shortly after take-off.
With PTI inputs