Pilots' body urges govt to ground Air India's 787 Dreamliner fleet and conduct thorough checks

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged the government to ground Air India's entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet and conduct comprehensive checks of the aircraft’s electrical and flight control systems.

In a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister on October 10, the pilots' body cited a series of technical malfunctions that led to the diversion of Air India flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi to Dubai on October 9. According to FIP, the aircraft's autopilot system failed mid-flight, "triggering multiple system degradations".

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"The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems including Autopilots, ILS (Instrument Landing System), Flight Directors, and the Flight Control System, leaving it with no Autoland capability," FIP said in its letter. The federation referred to the recent incident involving AI-117, urging the ministry to investigate both events and ensure that all Air India Boeing 787s are inspected for electrical issues and repetitive snags.

FIP further requested the government to order a special audit of Air India, to be conducted by senior officials from the Flight Standards Directorate, Air Safety, and Airworthiness divisions of DGCA.

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“There is a need to check the MEL (Minimum Equipment List) releases and repetitive snags on the aircraft, especially the B-787s,” it added.

Detailing the October 9 incident, FIP said the pilots were unable to engage the autopilot due to electrical malfunctions, forcing them to fly manually at night and divert to Dubai.

“The Flight Directors were not available, and flight control systems were degraded. The aircraft landed safely at Dubai,” the letter read.

The pilots’ association had on October 5, written to the DGCA, calling for a detailed inspection of all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating in India following reports of recurring electrical system faults.

FIP lauded the cockpit crew of the diverted flight for ensuring a safe landing despite limited automation. "We compliment the skill of the pilots to fly the aircraft safely to Dubai at night with limited automation and systems," the letter from the association read.