- By Priyanka Koul
- Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Federation of Indian Pilots' has called for the immediate grounding of all Boeing 787 aircraft following two troubling incidents involving Air India flights. The demand comes after reports of serious electronic system malfunctions on two Dreamliner services operated by the airline earlier this month.
Flight AI-154, operating between Vienna and Delhi, had to be diverted to Dubai on October 9 due to multiple system failures including issues with the autopilot and flight controls. Just five days earlier, on October 4, a separate Boeing 787 operating as AI-117 experienced a deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) while approaching Birmingham.
The pilots' body described these events as “indicators of poor serviceability by Air India.” They raised concerns over the replacement of experienced engineers from the government-run AIESL with new hires, suggesting this could be linked to the reported technical issues.
Air India has firmly pushed back against the allegations. The airline denied that either incident involved electrical failures. Regarding the AI-154 diversion, a spokesperson explained that the aircraft experienced a technical issue, prompting the diversion to Dubai.
"At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority," the spokesperson stated. The aircraft landed safely, passengers were updated regularly, provided with refreshments, and were able to continue their journey to Delhi without further complications on the same aircraft by Friday morning.
On the AI-117 incident, Air India acknowledged the RAT was deployed during final approach but maintained that “all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal.” The airline noted that the RAT deployment was “un-commanded,” meaning it occurred without pilot input or system fault, aligning with similar past occurrences reported by Boeing.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, deployment of the RAT was ‘un-commanded’, consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past and as reported by Boeing,” the airline stated, adding that the aircraft had since been cleared for service.
Air India has informed the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and submitted a preliminary report as per protocol.
The pilots' union, however, remains unconvinced. In a letter addressed to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, the Federation referred to the tragic AI-171 crash earlier this year on June 12, a London-bound Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including passengers, crew, and residents on the ground.
“The safety of air travel is being compromised by not investigating the causes of failures on B-787s in the country,” the pilots wrote.