Air India has withdrawn a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from service after a pilot raised concerns over a possible fault involving the aircraft’s fuel control switch.
In a statement issued on Monday, the national carrier said it had notified India’s aviation regulator and initiated urgent checks to assess the issue flagged by the flight crew.
“We have informed the regulator and are examining the matter on a priority basis,” the airline said, without disclosing further technical details or the specific flight involved.
Boeing confirmed it is engaging with Air India on the issue. “We are in contact with Air India and are supporting their review of this matter,” a company spokesperson said.
The development comes as investigations continue into a fatal Air India crash last June involving the same aircraft model, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people.
Media reports, including Reuters and The Times of India, indicated that the concern was raised after the aircraft landed in Bengaluru following a flight from London. Air India has not officially confirmed those details.
The June crash occurred shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in western India, with the aircraft losing power less than a minute into the flight. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is handling the probe, with a final report expected later this year.
A preliminary report released in July revealed that the aircraft’s engines shut down after the fuel control switches shifted from the “run” position to “cut-off” soon after take-off. Investigators, however, did not determine what caused the switches to move.
Following the preliminary findings, US aviation authorities said the fuel control switch design used in Boeing aircraft was safe. India’s aviation regulator also directed inspections of fuel switches on Boeing 787 and 737 planes operating locally.
Air India said at the time that checks across its Dreamliner fleet found no issues with the fuel switch locking mechanism, a position it reiterated on Monday.
“Air India had inspected fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft following a directive from the DGCA and found no abnormalities,” the airline said.
However, Reuters reported on Tuesday that the airline has begun re-examining fuel control switches on its Dreamliner fleet following the latest pilot report.
Aviation consultant and former air accident investigator Tim Atkinson said he has confidence in the aircraft’s design, noting that fuel control switches are built to prevent accidental movement.
“These switches are engineered so they cannot be moved unintentionally,” he said. “I would be very surprised if a hidden design defect were discovered.”
Investigations into the flagged aircraft are ongoing as aviation authorities monitor the situation closely.
