New Delhi: Air India has begun a fresh round of inspections of the fuel control switches on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet after a pilot reported a possible malfunction on one of the aircraft, prompting the airline to ground the jet as a safety precaution. According to reports, the checks come amid heightened scrutiny of the component following a fatal crash last year in which investigators flagged the role of fuel control switches in cutting off fuel supply to the engines.
According to airline officials, the Dreamliner was taken out of service after the pilot noticed an anomaly related to the fuel control switch system during operations, and the issue was immediately reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Air India said it is coordinating closely with Boeing, the original equipment manufacturer, to examine the switch, its locking mechanism and associated throttle control modules to rule out any systemic problem. The airline stressed that the move is precautionary and that passenger safety remains its top priority.
Reports said the renewed inspection drive builds on a broader DGCA directive that required Indian carriers to examine the locking mechanism of fuel control switches on specified Boeing models by July 21 last year, after a probe found both switches had moved from “run” to “cutoff” seconds after take-off in the Ahmedabad crash. Air India had previously reported that it completed fleet‑wide checks on its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, finding no issues with the locking systems at that time.
Industry experts say the latest grounding and inspections are likely to trigger another round of compliance reviews across operators using similar aircraft types.
