The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sent a letter to the airline on Tuesday, warning that regulatory action could be taken against Air India and its Boeing 787 fleet if a full response is not provided within a week
Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane during its delivery to Air India at the Boeing's North Charleston facility, in US in 2012. Pic/PTI
Britain’s aviation regulator has sought clarification from Air India after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed London despite concerns over a potentially faulty fuel switch and was later grounded in India for safety inspections, news agency ANI reported.
According to Reuters, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sent a letter to the airline on Tuesday, warning that regulatory action could be taken against Air India and its Boeing 787 fleet if a full response is not provided within a week.
The development comes amid fleet-wide safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft. ANI sources said the airline completed inspections of fuel control switches on all its aircraft after a pilot flagged a possible defect earlier this week.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft was grounded on Monday after a pilot reported a potential issue with the fuel control switch. An Air India spokesperson confirmed the matter had been reported to India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate 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. The aircraft has been grounded and the OEM is being involved to address the concern on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the DGCA. Fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in our fleet were inspected following DGCA directives, and no issues were found. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” the spokesperson said.
Following the incident, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain CS Randhawa urged the DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to immediately investigate potential electrical faults in Boeing 787 aircraft, citing repeated incidents of uncommanded movement of fuel control switches.
DGCA: Air India Boeing 787 fuel switch moved due to external force
Captain Randhawa noted that this was the third known incident involving uncommanded fuel switch movement on a Boeing 787.
On Tuesday, the DGCA issued a statement regarding the alleged malfunction of the fuel cut-off switch on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft VT-ANX, first identified by the crew on January 1. The regulator clarified that the switch had moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” due to external force applied in the wrong direction, rather than a technical fault.
(With ANI inputs)
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