DGCA gives clean chit to Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet after crash probes
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Tuesday that comprehensive surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet did not reveal any major safety issues, following the tragic June 12 crash of flight AI‑171 in Ahmedabad that killed over 270 people. DGCA confirmed the aircraft and maintenance systems complied with existing safety standards.
Despite the green signal, the DGCA highlighted maintenance-related gaps—particularly in spare parts availability and coordination among engineering, operations, and ground handling teams. These shortcomings, it said, have contributed to recent flight delays and cancellations.
Following the AI‑171 crash, the DGCA ordered immediate, enhanced inspections of all 33 Boeing 787s in the Air India fleet. As of Tuesday afternoon, 24 aircraft had cleared these checks, with the remainder expected to return to service soon.
The heightened safety focus led to the cancellation of 83 wide-body flights between June 12–17, including 66 Boeing 787 services and one Boeing 777 trip, spanning routes such as Ahmedabad–London, Delhi–Paris, and San Francisco–Mumbai.
DGCA officials called on Air India CEO Campbell Wilson to implement stricter protocols, enhance crisis communication during disruptions, ensure backup aircraft availability, and improve passenger handling during delays.
Air India has attributed cancellations to precautionary checks, technical issues, aircraft shortages, and external factors like airspace restrictions amid the Iran–Israel conflict. It has assured affected customers of prompt re-routing, refunds, and hotel arrangements.
The airline’s fleet-wide evaluations come against a backdrop of mounting scrutiny, including DGCA requests for pilot training records, systematic technical service audits, and parallel investigations by the US NTSB and India’s AAIB following the AI‑171 crash.
As Air India regroups, DGCA’s assurance is likely to calm safety concerns, although the regulator pressed for improvements in logistics and operations to stabilise long‑haul services. The airline has pledged full cooperation and reinforced its commitment to passenger safety and reliable global connectivity.
