DGCA orders AI to check its Boeing 787s with GE engines

Air India told to inspect fuel parameter monitor, cabin air compressor and associated systems

- Daanish Anand & Dipali Banka

India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered Air India to carry out additional maintenance actions on its fleet of Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with General Electric's GEnx engines with immediate effect.

The order comes a day after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in which 265 people lost their lives.

The DGCA ordered Air India to conduct a one-time check before the departure of all flights from India from the midnight on 15 June.

The Tata Group-owned airline has been ordered to inspect the fuel parameter monitor, cabin air compressor, and associated systems.

Air India must also conduct checks of the electronic engine control system and the oil system, and a serviceability check of the hydraulic system.

The DGCA also said that flight control inspections must be included in all transit checks until further notice.

Under this inspection, the airline will have to check for damage, wear, and proper functionality of components such as ailerons, elevators, rudders and others.

The regulator asked Air India to carry out power assurance checks on its Dreamliners within two weeks to verify the engines' ability to produce the required output for flying.