UK aviation regulator seeks answers from AI over Dreamliner safety concerns

Britain’s aviation regulator has asked Air India to explain how a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which had been grounded in India for safety checks, was allowed to operate a flight from London, warning that failure to respond fully could invite regulatory action.

According to a report by Reuters, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) raised concerns after an Air India pilot reported a fault in a fuel control switch on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft on 2 February. The issue was flagged after the aircraft operated flight AI132 and subsequently landed in Bengaluru, where it was grounded for inspection the same day.

Despite the reported fault, the aircraft later departed London on Sunday, prompting the UK regulator to seek clarification. In a letter dated Tuesday, the CAA warned Air India that it could take regulatory action against the airline and its Boeing 787 fleet if a comprehensive response was not submitted within a week.

The regulator has asked the airline to provide a detailed account of all maintenance work carried out to ensure the aircraft’s continued airworthiness before it was cleared for service. It has also sought a thorough root-cause analysis of the incident and a preventive action plan to avoid similar problems across Air India’s Dreamliner fleet.

In a statement, the CAA said it is standard practice for regulators to seek information following an aircraft incident and that such steps are part of routine safety assurance procedures.

Fuel control switches have been under heightened scrutiny following last year’s crash involving an Air India Dreamliner in Gujarat, which killed more than 250 people. The switches regulate the flow of fuel to an aircraft’s engines and are considered critical to flight safety.

Air India said it carried out a precautionary reinspection of the fuel switches on the aircraft in question and found no faults. The airline added that it would respond to the UK regulator as required.

India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said its initial assessment suggested that the correct operating procedure may not have been followed while handling the switch. The regulator has instructed Air India to ensure that flight crews strictly adhere to prescribed procedures.

In an internal memo issued on Wednesday, Air India said it had also inspected fuel switches across its entire Boeing 787 fleet and that no issues were detected, according to the report.

With agency inputs