Mumbai: The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that recently crashed was ‘well-maintained’ and had cleared a major inspection as recently as June 2023, with its next scheduled check due this December, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said Thursday.
In a message to flyers, the Air India chief also said the 15 per cent reduction in Air India’s international wide-body fleet operations for the next few weeks is a temporary move and it may affect its customers’ travel plans.
“The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight,” he said.
The airline chief further said the loss of 241 passengers and crew members, along with 34 people on the ground, has “left us all in deep sorrow”.
“Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event. We are fully committed to doing all we can to support the families impacted and are also working closely with authorities to understand the cause of this tragedy. Our thoughts are with everyone touched by this loss,” Wilson said in the message.
He said that the airline as well as the entire aviation industry was awaiting the official investigation report to understand more.
Campbell said that following the June 12 crash and as directed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the airline has been conducting thorough safety inspections on its 33 Boeing 787 aircraft.
So far, inspections have been completed on 26 aircraft and these have been cleared for service, he said and added that the remaining aircraft are currently in planned maintenance and will have these additional checks done before being released into service.
“Following the review, the DGCA has confirmed that Air India Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards,” he said.
While DGCA raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues at Air India and directed airline to boost inter-department coordination, it said that the surveillance of the airline’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns in the wake of the fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad last week.
June 13, a day after the B787-8 crash that killed 241 people on board, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, comprising 26 787-8s and seven 787-9s.
“Regrettably, the time required to perform these enhanced safety checks, along with the application of extra caution, external factors like airspace closures in Iran and the Middle East as well as night-time restrictions at some international airports, along with normal airline technical issues, has led to a higher-than-usual number of cancellations on our long-haul network in the past few days,” the Air India chief said in his message.
“We know these disruptions have been frustrating, and we’re truly sorry for the inconvenience. As a confidence-building measure, the airline has elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, its Boeing 777 aircraft, for the time being,” he said.
Given the time these additional checks will consume and the potential impact on schedules, Air India has decided to reduce its international wide-body flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, through to at least mid-July, Wilson said.
“This will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues. We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we’re deeply sorry for any inconvenience,” he said.
PTI
