Fuel Switch Moves From 'Run to Cutoff' on Air India Boeing 787-8 London Heathrow-Bengaluru Flight, Plane Grounded

New Delhi: Air India has informed that they have grounded one of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner after one of their pilots reported a possible issue on the fuel control switch. The pilot reported issue with the fuel switch on February 2 (today) during Air India Flight AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru.According to reports, the crew reported abnormal behaviour of the LEFT engine fuel control switch on Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. During engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towardsCUTOFF.As the matter was highlighted, the airline informed that they are getting the OEM involved to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis, and the message has been conveyed to the aviation watchdog,

Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).“We are aware that one of our pilots has reported a possible defect on the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the aircraft and are involving the OEM to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA. Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues. At Air India, the safety of our passengers and crew remains top priority,” Air India said. Meanwhile, the DGCA sources have also confirmed an incident with Air India flight AI132 when one of its pilots raised the issue with the fuel control switch, stating that the airline has informed them of the incident. Also, the AAIB sources have said that they will study the case based on facts reported by the operator and the DGCA airworthiness section.After the incident surfaced, Boeing in its statement said that they will have to defer this to the custom, that means the airline which is Air India, will check the aircraft first.

What's A Fuel Switch?

A fuel switch is a critical control part of an aircraft especially in Boeing 787-8 and its function is to manage the fuel supply to the engines.The fuel switch is located behind the thrust levers. It has a feature called RUN position for normal operation and a CUTOFF position to immediately stop fuel flow to shutdown engines in an emergency.

Similar Fuel Switch Concerns Were Raised On Ill-Fated Air India Ahmedabad-London Flight

The incident assumes significance against the backdrop of concerns in certain quarters about the functioning of the fuel control switch in the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner that crashed in June last year.In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash.In its preliminary report on the crash that was released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off."In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," it had said.With inputs from PTI