Indian aviation authorities are preparing to travel to Seattle next month to closely monitor Boeing‘s testing of a fuel-control switch panel that had earlier been removed from an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft after pilots reported a possible malfunction during a London-Bengaluru flight in February, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
The planned visit comes at a highly sensitive moment for India’s aviation sector, as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding last year’s deadly Air India Dreamliner crash in Gujarat that claimed 260 lives.
The focus has once again shifted to the Boeing 787’s fuel-control switches, critical cockpit controls that regulate fuel supply to the aircraft’s engines.
Fuel-control switches under renewed scrutiny
The fuel switches have remained under intense scrutiny ever since the preliminary investigation into the Air India crash suggested that both switches were turned off almost simultaneously, cutting fuel supply to the engines mid-flight.
During the February incident involving an Air India 787 operating between London and Bengaluru, pilots reportedly noticed unusual behaviour while starting the engines. According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the switches failed to remain fixed in the “run” position during the first two attempts when light vertical pressure was applied. The switches reportedly functioned normally on the third attempt, allowing the flight to depart.
Although the aircraft eventually completed the journey safely, the incident prompted further technical examination of the switch module.
Boeing reportedly termed component ‘serviceable’
UK aviation authorities examined the February incident, while Boeing privately informed Air India that the switch module was “serviceable”, according to an internal email accessed by Reuters.
The DGCA had also publicly said at the time that the switches had passed inspection checks. However, despite the preliminary assessment, the component was later sent to Boeing’s Seattle facility for deeper analysis and testing.
In one of the confidential communications cited in the report, DGCA Deputy Director of Airworthiness Manish Kumar instructed Air India to ensure that the testing process at Boeing’s facility be conducted in the presence of a DGCA official.
“As the matter is sensitive in nature, Air India is hereby directed to ensure that the strip/test examination at OEM’s premises is carried out in the presence of a DGCA officer,” the March 9 email reportedly said.
India seeks ‘thorough’ verification
According to Reuters, Indian officials now want Boeing to specifically examine the locking mechanism of the fuel switches and determine whether external pressure at certain angles could potentially move the switch even while it remains in a locked position.
Sources familiar with the matter said the Indian government wants the testing process to be comprehensive given the broader concerns surrounding the 2025 Air India crash investigation.
One government official quoted in the report said authorities “want to be thorough” because of the sensitivity of the issue. The testing is expected to take place in June, around a year after the Gujarat crash.
Air India will reportedly bear the travel expenses for two DGCA officials who are expected to attend the testing at Boeing’s Seattle facility.
Air India says testing is precautionary
In a statement, Air India maintained that both Boeing and the DGCA had already found the switch module to be fully functional. However, the airline added that the additional testing was being conducted purely as a precautionary measure to ensure “a thorough and conclusive evaluation”.
“The additional testing involves examination in a controlled laboratory environment to definitively confirm its performance and integrity,” the airline reportedly said.
Air India, now owned by the Tata Group along with Singapore Airlines as a strategic partner, has been under heightened regulatory and public scrutiny since the fatal crash.
FAA earlier ruled out mechanical failure
The development also comes against the backdrop of earlier assessments by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which reportedly indicated that the Air India crash did not initially appear to be linked to a mechanical defect.
Earlier, Reuters had reported that conversations recorded between the two pilots suggested the aircraft captain may have cut off fuel flow to the engines while the first officer was flying the plane.
That assessment had triggered strong reactions from pilot associations in India as well as the late captain’s family, who demanded an independent and wider investigation into possible alternative causes.
Questions over pilot reporting and airline procedures
The February London-Bengaluru incident had also reportedly drawn questions from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which sought clarification from Air India regarding why the flight proceeded despite the switch behaviour observed during engine startup.
The UK regulator also reportedly questioned why the issue was formally reported only after the aircraft landed.
At the time, Air India informed the CAA that the unit was later found to be serviceable, according to internal emails cited in the Reuters report.
Final crash report expected soon
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to submit its final report into the Gujarat Dreamliner crash next month under international aviation investigation norms. If the report is delayed, investigators will be required to issue an interim update.
The DGCA, Boeing and the AAIB have not publicly commented on the latest Reuters report regarding the Seattle testing visit.