The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft had operated flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru and landed safely in Bengaluru on Monday morning, sources said
Air India confirmed that one of its pilots had flagged a potential issue. Representational Pic/File
An Air India pilot has reported a possible defect in the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, prompting the airline to ground the aircraft and inform the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), reported the PTI.
The aircraft had operated flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru and landed safely in Bengaluru on Monday morning, sources said.
In a statement, Air India confirmed that one of its pilots had flagged a potential issue with the fuel control switch of the Dreamliner, according to the PTI.
The airline said the aircraft has been grounded as a precaution, and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has been involved to examine the pilot’s concerns on a priority basis. The issue has also been formally reported to the DGCA.
Air India said it had earlier inspected the fuel control switches across its entire Boeing 787 fleet following a directive from the DGCA and had found no issues at that time, as per the PTI.
Incident raises safety sensitivities
The latest report has drawn attention due to ongoing concerns in some quarters about the functioning of fuel control switches, especially in the context of the Air India Dreamliner crash in June last year.
June 2025 Dreamliner crash
On June 12, 2025, an Air India Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers. It was one of the deadliest air accidents in India.
The crash is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Preliminary findings of AAIB
In its preliminary report released on July 12, 2025, the AAIB said that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a gap of one second, leading to confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off, the news agency reported.
According to the cockpit voice recording, one pilot was heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off, to which the second pilot replied that he had not done so.
Fuel control switch issue in Dreamliner must be investigated thoroughly: Expert
According to the ANI, an aviation expert has said that the reported defect in the fuel control switch of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a highly sensitive issue that requires thorough investigation, especially in the aftermath of the Air India flight AI171 crash.
Aviation expert Harsh Vardhan said the fuel control mechanism of Boeing 787 aircraft has been under scrutiny since the crash, making the latest report significant. He noted that Air India has taken the correct step by grounding the aircraft and must now verify the pilots’ observations by matching them with flight data recorder information and other technical records.
#WATCH | Delhi: On an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner grounded after pilots reported a possible defect in the fuel control switch, Aviation Expert Harsh Vardhan says, "... After the Air India 171 crash, the fuel control mechanism of the 787 and Boeing aircraft has come into… https://t.co/AeNgrO1Pdd pic.twitter.com/cnTBjdX7Mz
— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2026
Vardhan recalled that as early as 2018, Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued guidelines regarding the sensitivity of the fuel control mechanism, indicating that the issue is not new and needs closer attention.
He added that while there are multiple aspects under investigation in the AI171 crash, a possible system malfunction linked to the fuel control mechanism cannot be ruled out. According to him, the exact cause will only be known once the full investigation is completed.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
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