Image : Representational Purpose Only
Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes, two days after AAIB’s preliminary report said fuel switches were cut off before the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people last month.
According to PTI, There are more than 150 Boeing 737s and 787s being operated by Indian airlines. Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo are the domestic carriers operating these aircraft.
Of these, IndiGo has seven B 737 Max 8 and one B787-9. All these are leased planes — either on wet or damp lease — and so are not registered in India.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), back in 2018, had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s.
It was mentioned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) but there was no airworthiness directive, indicating that the issue was not a safety concern.
On Monday, the DGCA said it has come to its notice that several operators- internationally as well as domestic – have initiated inspection on their aircraft fleet as per the FAA’s SAIB.
‘… all airline operators of the affected aircraft are hereby advised to complete the inspection… no later than 21st July 2025. Inspection plan and report after accomplishment of inspection shall be submitted to this office under intimation to concerned Regional Office,’ the DGCA said in an order.
Fuel control switches regulate the flow of fuel into the aircraft engines. In its preliminary report on the Boeing 787-8 crash released on Saturday, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take off.
