• Source:JND
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that it found no major safety concern in Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, which the aviation regulatory watchdog had mandated to undergo a one-time safety check before further operations.

In a statement, the DGCA said, "The recent surveillance conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards."

However, the DGCA raised concerns regarding recent maintenance-related issues reported by Air India. The civil aviation regulatory body advised the airline to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units, and ensure the availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues, and strictly adhere to regulations.

The DGCA's statement came after it held a high-level meeting with senior officials of Air India and Air India Express. DGCA further said that 24 aircraft out of a total 33 have successfully completed the required checks while only 4 have been undergoing major checks.

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"The Enhances Safety Inspection mandated under Order Para 1 is applicable to the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft. Of these, 4 aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities. As of 1500 hrs on 17 June 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check. An additional 2 aircraft are planned for completion today, with 1 more scheduled for tomorrow. The remaining 6 aircraft include 2 aircraft, which are presently AOG at Delhi. The checks on these two will be carried out post-declaration of serviceability and prior to their return to service. The remaining 4 aircraft currently under MRO will undergo the mandated check prior to their release from the respective maintenance hangars ," the DGCA said in a statement.

During the meeting, DGCA also reviewed recent operational data for Air India’s wide-body operations, with specific attention to the Boeing 787 fleet.

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While discussing the impact on flight operations in the wake of the Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East, the regulator asked Air India to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimise disruptions.

The regulator also demanded that the airline of their obligations under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements Section 3 Series M Part IV & V, to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations.

(With ANI Inputs)