"No Major Safety Concerns": Aviation Watchdog On 24 Air India Dreamliners

Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that 24 of the 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with Air India is compliant with safety standards.

Air India's review of the fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners comes days after a London-bound Air India flight crashed within a minute of take-off from Ahmedabad. 241 of 242 people on board died and DNA testing continues to identify victims before the bodies are handed to over to their families. The plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, taking the total deaths to 274.

In a key meet held with Air India and Air India Express, 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.

The "Enhanced Safety Inspection" was conducted on the entire Air India B787-8/9 fleet, comprising 33 aircraft. Of these, 24 aircraft were successfully 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, out of which 83 were cancelled. Of these, 66 cancellations involved the Boeing 787 fleet, indicating 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. Air India has been advised to enhance real-time routing strategies by developing a real-time defect reporting system within its operational framework. This is to provide faster issue resolution, improved communication with passengers during disruptions and reduce cascading delays.

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.

With the Dreamliner fleet cleared of safety concerns, the focus now shifts to how quickly Air India can restore operational stability and win back passenger confidence amid the ongoing turbulence. Restoring operational stability will be critical for Air India.

The aviation watchdog reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety, regulatory oversight, and service reliability, and stated it will continue to monitor Air India and other scheduled carriers closely.