DGCA finds 'no major safety concerns' with 24 of 33 Air India Dreamliners

Air India's review of the fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners comes days after a London-bound Air India flight crashed within a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad. 241 of 242 people on board died in the crash.

The plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, taking the total deaths to 274.

In a key meeting with the airline, the DGCA said no safety concerns were found with 24 Boeing 787 aircraft but advised Air India to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, and ground handling units, said reports.

This comes as part of an "Enhanced Safety Inspection" that was conducted on the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft.

Of these, 24 aircraft were completed, four aircraft are currently undergoing major checks, two aircraft are currently undergoing scrutiny, while one will be assessed on Wednesday.

Between June 12 and 17, Air India operated a total of 514 flights, of which 83 were cancelled.

Of these, 66 cancellations involved the Boeing 787 fleet, which indicated operational stress around the wide-body segment.

The highest number of Dreamliner cancellations, that of 14, occurred on June 15, followed by June 14 and June 17-12 and 13, respectively.

The meeting also addressed the impact of recent airspace restrictions over Iran, which have triggered diversions and delays.

The DGCA has also advised the airline to enhance real-time routing strategies by developing a real-time defect reporting system within its operational framework.

Air India and Air India Express together operate over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors. Tuesday's review focused on fleet safety, maintenance practices, airspace-related challenges, and passenger service obligations.