Ahmedabad plane crash: Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to undergo enhanced safety inspection, orders DGCA; here’s what will be checked

Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to undergo additional testing: After the tragic crash of a London-bound Air India flight in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, the entire Boeing 787-8/9 Dreamliner fleet of Air India will undergo enhanced safety inspection.As per the latest directions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), all Boeing Dreamliner 787/9 fleet of Air India equipped with Genx engines will undergo additional maintenance and safety checks with immediate effect in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices.The DGCA circular directs Air India to do the following:1. One time check before departure of flight from India w.e.f 15.06.2025,(00:00)Hrs Onwards.a) Inspection of Fuel Parameter Monitoring and associated system checks.b) Inspection of Cabin air compressor and associated systems.c) Electronic Engine Control- System Test.d) Engine Fuel Driven Actuator-Operational Test and oil system check.e) Serviceability check of Hydraulic systemf) Review of Take-off parameters.2. ‘Flight Control Inspection’ to be introduced in transit inspection till further notice.3. Power assurance checks to be carried out within two weeks.4. Closure of maintenance action based upon the review of repetitive snags during the last 15 days on 8787-8/9 aircraft at the earliest.The report of the above checks is to be submitted to DGCAThe Air India 787-8 Dreamliner, operating flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, which was 11 years old, reached only 425 feet before plummeting into a medical college campus, resulting in 245 fatalities, including 242 passengers and crew, along with casualties on the ground. The entire incident was captured in a 34-second video recording.Also Read | Air India plane crash: 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s flagship product – 10 things to know about aircraft model involved in Ahmedabad crashUnion home minister Amit Shah, who arrived in Ahmedabad following the incident, confirmed that the massive fire caused by 1.25 lakh litres of jet fuel made survival impossible.The incident in Ahmedabad on Thursday marks the first accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its commercial debut in 2011, despite its reputation as one of the most reliable aircraft worldwide. However, the aircraft’s history includes notable concerns. In January 2013, the US aviation authority suspended Dreamliner operations following two separate incidents in Japan: a battery fire in a stationary aircraft and a battery system alert that necessitated an emergency landing for another plane. Operations resumed in April 2013 after Boeing implemented battery system modifications.According to flight data firm Cirium, 1,148 Boeing 787 variants currently operate worldwide, with an average fleet age of 7.5 years. Air India’s fleet included 34 787s before the loss of AI 171.