Pilots’ Body Urges Govt to Ground Air India’s Boeing 787 Fleet Amid Rising Safety Concerns

New Delhi (India) October 11: In their letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, FIP stated that all B-787/8/9 aircraft in India should be grounded immediately till they are cleared from these defects. These planes have come under scrutiny in recent weeks as Air India had to cancel more flights amid continuous technical mishaps. The pilots’ union has spelled out three essential demands for the government to address.

FIP Flags “Repetitive Snags” in Air India’s Dreamliners

This new request comes in the wake of an earlier FIP note sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, requesting for a thorough check-up of all electrical accessories in Boeing 787 planes flying across India. 

The union had alleged that the Boeing 787s operated by Air India suffered from “high level of repetitive snags and defects,” adding "These snags lead to cancellation of flights, raising doubt on flight safety.” They included problems such as failures of ILS, autopilot and the Flight Control System—each could have a direct impact on the safety of aircraft in operations.

Recent Flight Incidents Raise Passenger Safety Alarm

Take this, for instance- on October 4 an Air India Boeing 787-8 which was flying from Amritsar to Birmingham in the UK was forced to land upon arrival because a glitch resulted in the emergency turbine of the plane – called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) – getting activated. 

A few days later, on Oct. 9, another Air India flight from Vienna to New Delhi made an unscheduled landing in Dubai for a possible technical problem. It eventually departed from Dubai Airport for New Delhi at 8:45 a.m. IST.

The FIP said, "they had major technical issues where the autopilot system suddenly failed triggering a series of technical malfunctions. The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems, which included Autopilots, ILS (Instrument Landing System), Flight Directors (FDs) and Flight Control System Degradation with no Autoland capability".

Union Seeks Special DGCA Audit of Boeing 787s

FIP also added, "We once again appeal to the Hon'ble Minister to now ground all the B-787's of Air India and these aircraft be thoroughly checked especially the Electrical Systems. DGCA to carry out a Special Audit of all B-787's and these aircraft be checked thoroughly as the failures are increasing day by day thus seriously affecting Air Safety." 

The FIP has now called on the government to:

1. Please investigate thoroughly on the recent flights AI-117 and AI-154.

2. All Air India B-787s should be grounded and carefully inspected for electrical issues and other recurring problems.

3. Ask senior officials of Air Safety and Director General Civil Aviation Directorate to conduct a special audit of the national carrier.

Boeing Silent as Pressure Mounts on Regulators

Boeing has not responded to the reports of technical troubles on some Air India flights, including those at Birmingham and a major occurrence in Ahmedabad with their Dreamliner. 

While Boeing’s 787 is heralded as fuel efficient, it has been widely criticized for a range of technical issues involving automation and electronics systems. The FIP's plea adds to the pressure on regulators to put flier safety over a continuity in operations, given the series of incidents which Air India has witnessed.