Air India has completed precautionary inspections of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) locking mechanism on all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet.
The Boeing 737 aircraft are part of the fleet of Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India. With these inspections, both airlines have complied with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directive issued on July 14, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.
No issues found in locking mechanism
The DGCA had instructed all Indian carriers to inspect the fuel switch locking systems on their Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft by July 21, following the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The AAIB’s report indicated that fuel switches were cut off before the Air India crash last month.
Air India flight AI 171, operated with a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick on June 12, resulting in the deaths of 241 of the 242 people onboard and 19 people on the ground.
“In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism,” the Tata Group airline said.
Early compliance
The fuel control switches regulate the flow of fuel into the aircraft engines. The AAIB’s preliminary report noted that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second, leading to confusion in the cockpit. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off? The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the AAIB said.
Boeing 787s are operated by Air India, while Boeing 737s are flown by Air India Express. Other Indian carriers such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air also operate these aircraft types.
Air India stated that it had voluntarily begun inspections on July 12, ahead of the regulator’s order, and completed them within the prescribed timeframe.
There are over 150 Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft in operation with Indian airlines. Currently, Air India has a fleet of 33 wide-body Boeing 787s, while Air India Express operates around 75 narrow-body Boeing 737s. IndiGo operates seven Boeing 737 MAX 8 and one Boeing 787-9. Akasa Air and SpiceJet also operate Boeing 737s as part of their fleets.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had first flagged concerns in 2018 about potential disengagement of the FCS locking mechanism on certain Boeing aircraft models, including the 787 and 737.