Air India on Monday grounded one of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft after a pilot flagged a possible issue with the fuel control switch during pre-flight checks, the airline said. It adding that the aircraft has been withdrawn from service as a precaution and the original equipment manufacturer has been brought in to examine the concern.
In a statement, the carrier said a pilot had reported a possible defect related to the fuel control switch on the aircraft. Following the report, the airline grounded the aircraft and initiated checks in coordination with the OEM on a priority basis.
The aircraft had been scheduled to operate flight AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru, but was removed from the roster before departure once the issue was detected.
Air India on flight concerns
The airline said it has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation about the development and reiterated that passenger and crew safety remains its top priority. It did not specify how long the aircraft is expected to remain grounded or whether additional checks across the fleet have been ordered following the report.
The incident comes against the backdrop of heightened scrutiny of fuel control systems after the June 12 crash of Air India flight 171 on the Ahmedabad–London sector, which killed 260 people.
A preliminary investigation report into that accident had pointed to the movement of both engine fuel control switches from run to cut off shortly after takeoff, leading to a loss of thrust. The cockpit voice recorder transcript indicated confusion in the cockpit, with one pilot questioning the fuel cutoff while the other denied initiating it.
Safety Matters Foundation on Air India’s operations
Earlier on Monday, non-government organisation Safety Matters Foundation said the crew of flight AI132 had observed abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, registered VT-ANX.
According to the NGO, during engine start the switch did not remain locked in the RUN position and moved towards cutoff twice, a condition that could potentially result in an uncommanded engine shutdown under certain circumstances.
Air India said it had completed inspections of the fuel control switches on all its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft in July last year, in line with regulatory directives issued after the Ahmedabad crash.
Those inspections were aimed at verifying locking mechanisms and ensuring there were no latent defects that could lead to inadvertent switch movement.
The airline has not reported any injuries or in-flight disruptions linked to the latest incident, and said further action will be guided by the outcome of the ongoing technical assessment.