Pilots’ body seeks grounding of all Boeing 787s after Air India’s twin mid-air incidents
The Federation of Indian Pilots has called for grounding all Boeing 787 aircraft after two Air India flights, AI-154 from Vienna and AI-117 to Birmingham, reported mid-air technical issues, including RAT deployment and system failures. Air India denied any electrical malfunction, stating both aircraft landed safely and were cleared for service. The pilots' body linked the incidents to poor maintenance and urged the civil aviation minister to investigate, citing safety concerns similar to the fat
New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), a representative body of airline pilots, has urged the government to ground all Boeing 787 aircraft in India following reports of electronic malfunctions on two Air India flights — AI-154 (Vienna–Delhi) and AI-117 (Delhi–Birmingham). The body cited these incidents as evidence of declining aircraft serviceability and alleged poor maintenance oversight after Air India replaced experienced engineers from the government-owned AIESEL with newly-hired staff.
Pilots flag safety concerns
According to FIP, AI-154, operating from Vienna to Delhi on October 9, was forced to divert to Dubai after "failures across multiple systems, including autopilot and flight control,” and subsequent deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — a device that supplies emergency power during loss of electrical systems. A few days earlier, on October 4, the RAT had also deployed unexpectedly on AI-117 while landing in Birmingham.
Calling these "indicators of poor serviceability by Air India,” the pilots warned of serious safety lapses if such issues are not thoroughly investigated. They also referenced the fatal June 12 AI-171 crash that killed 260 people — passengers, crew, and residents on the ground — alleging that "the safety of air travel is being compromised by not investigating the causes of failures on B-787's in the country.”
"The safety of air travel is being compromised by not investigating the causes of failures on B-787's in the country,” the letter to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu stated.
Air India's response
In its response, Air India strongly denied the allegations, asserting there was no electrical failure on AI-117 and clarifying that RAT deployment on AI-154 was "neither due to a system fault nor pilot action.”
A company spokesperson said, "At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority.” The airline explained that AI-154 was diverted "due to a technical issue” and landed safely in Dubai, where passengers were "kept informed of delays, provided refreshments, and completed their journey — on the same aircraft — reaching Delhi with no further incident Friday morning.”
On AI-117, the spokesperson confirmed the plane "landed safely despite the RAT deploying on final approach,” adding that "all electrical and hydraulic parameters to be normal.”
"Based on our preliminary investigation, deployment of the RAT was 'un-commanded', consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past and as reported by Boeing,” the airline said. It added that the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been informed and that the aircraft "has since been cleared for service.”
The FIP’s demand for grounding all Boeing 787s comes amid renewed scrutiny of Air India’s maintenance and engineering practices following its privatization and a series of mid-air technical incidents in recent months.