Boeing 787 fleet inspected after deadly Air India crash

India is urgently inspecting all Boeing 787s after Thursday’s devastating Air India crash that claimed at least 270 lives, the aviation minister said yesterday, adding that the authorities were investigating all possible causes.

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The aviation regulator ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuelrelated checks.

“We have also given the order to do the extended surveillance of the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian fleet,” aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told a media briefing in New Delhi. “Eight have already been inspected, and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done.”

Air India operates 33 Boeing 787s, while rival airline IndiGo has one, according to data from Flightradar24. The planes, however, have not been grounded, but a source said the Indian government was considering that as an option.

Mr Naidu also said the government will look at all possible theories of what led to the crash.

Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down.