Air India Express Grounds Aircraft After DGCA Flags Tyre Issue During Audit

Air India Express (AIX) grounds an aircraft following a regulatory audit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which identifies a potential tyre-related issue in one of the airline’s Boeing 737-NG aircraft, sources told Times Now. According to sources familiar with the matter, the DGCA during its audit observed that a tyre on the aircraft may need to be interchanged and subsequently sought clarification from the airline. Air India Express decided to withdraw the aircraft from operations as a precautionary measure.Confirming the development, an Air India Express spokesperson said in a statement, “In light of an observation by the regulatory authority, we have proactively withdrawn one of our aircraft from operations for any necessary

fixes.”

Earlier, the airline reached out to aircraft manufacturer Boeing for technical clarification on whether the tyre replacement is required.In an update, Boeing informed the airline that the aircraft’s axles must be checked to test if there is any fatigue to the axles.A source familiar with the matter told Times Now that the airline has decided to replace the axles, and the aircraft is expected to return to service soon.Former Flight Operations Inspector, DGCA Prashant Dhalla said, “The tyre interchange is an exercise carried out by the AME as per the approved maintenance manual of the organisation. If for some reason(s) the specification of the tyre(s) to be replaced is not mentioned, then it is highly unsafe for the aircraft to be flown without proper approved tyre specification and warrants immediate action against the duty officers who carried out that work order.”

In a separate news, Air India Express on January 29 announced the addition of 30 new Boeing 737 Max jets as the airline seeks to expand its capacity to cater to growing air travel demand in India.The order has been announced amid the Wings India airshow in Hyderabad and confirms the options it had placed earlier in 2023.