NEW DELHI: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Friday urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ground all Air India Boeing 787 flights operating in the country, citing repeated technical problems.
It has also demanded a special audit of Air India’s aircraft by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In a communication to the Ministry, FIP president CS Randhawa said, “Since June 16, 2025, we have reiterated that all B-787s in the country must be thoroughly checked for issues in their electrical systems.”
The letter cited specific instances, including the auto-deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on an Air India flight while approaching Birmingham airport earlier this week. It also referred to another incident involving flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi, which was diverted to Dubai after the autopilot system suddenly failed, triggering a series of technical malfunctions.
The letter also pointed out that after the deadly crash of flight AI-171 at Ahmedabad, there have been several technical failures on Air India aircraft.
“The safety of air travel is being compromised by not investigating the causes of these failures on B-787s operating in the country. We once again appeal to the Civil Aviation Minister to ground all Air India B-787s and have them thoroughly inspected, especially their electrical systems,” it said.
The FIP also urged the DGCA to carry out a special audit of all B-787 aircraft, stressing that “failures are increasing day by day, thus seriously affecting air safety.”
The audit, it said, should be conducted by senior officials from the Flight Standards Directorate, Air Safety, and Airworthiness departments of the DGCA. It also called for a review of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) releases and repetitive snags reported on B-787 aircraft.
The letter further stated that two incidents of electrical malfunctions in a short span were indicators of poor serviceability by Air India. Such incidents, it claimed, have been on the rise since newly hired Air India engineers began maintaining the aircraft.
