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In response to safety concerns flagged in the wake of a recent air crash, Air India has finished a comprehensive review of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) locking system across its Boeing 787 fleet. According to the airline, no anomalies were discovered during the inspections.

"Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found. With this, Air India has complied with the directives of the DGCA issued on Monday, 14 July," Air India stated, as per news agency ANI.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a directive on Monday, 14 July, urging all Indian airlines operating Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft to conduct checks on the fuel switch locking systems. This came just two days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report into the deadly Air India crash on 12 June, which claimed 260 lives. The report indicated that fuel switches had been disengaged moments before the aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 operating as flight AI 171, went down shortly after departing Ahmedabad for London Gatwick.

The AAIB’s initial findings noted that fuel supply to both engines had been cut off almost simultaneously. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot questioning the other, “Why did he cut off?”, to which the second pilot replied that he had not. While the report referred to a 2018 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), no specific corrective actions were recommended by the AAIB.

Air India Confirms TCM Replacements on Entire 787-8 Fleet

In its statement, Air India also confirmed that all its Boeing 787-8 aircraft had undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacements in line with Boeing’s maintenance protocols, noting that the FCS forms a component of the TCM.

"All our Boeing 787-8 aircraft have also undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacement as per the Boeing maintenance schedule. The FCS is part of this module," Air India stated

Sources cited by PTI reported that Air India had completed inspections on more than half its Boeing 787 fleet, while the checks for Boeing 737 aircraft were nearly done. Tata-owned Air India currently operates 33 Boeing 787 wide-body planes, and its subsidiary, Air India Express, flies around 75 Boeing 737 narrow-body jets.

IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet Also Operate Boeing Jets

According to the AAIB report, over 150 Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft are currently in operation in India by carriers such as Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo. However, the DGCA clarified that IndiGo’s fleet – comprising seven Boeing 737 Max 8s and one Boeing 787-9 – falls outside the purview of the directive since these are leased on wet or damp lease arrangements and are not registered in India.

The DGCA, in its latest directive, instructed all relevant operators to conclude inspections by 21 July 2025 and submit detailed reports to the aviation regulator, copying in their respective regional DGCA offices.

Global Carriers Also Begin Safety Reviews

Following the AAIB’s findings, some international airlines, including Etihad Airways, have also started examining the FCS locking systems on their Boeing 787 aircraft as a precautionary measure.

The FAA’s 2018 bulletin had earlier warned of possible disengagements in the fuel switch locking feature across specific Boeing 787 and 737 models, but no formal airworthiness directive was issued at the time, suggesting the issue had not been classified as a critical safety threat.