Air India's 24 Dreamliners cleared in 'enhanced' inspection so far; no major safety concerns found in 'recent surveillance': DGCA

'The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards,' it said in a statement released after a key meeting.

New Delhi: Air India's 24 of the 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft have cleared the 'Enhanced Safety Inspection' ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) following the Ahmedabad air crash while the examination of the remaining will be held in the coming days.

The DGCA also said a “recent surveillance” conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet “did not reveal any major safety concerns” and the aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards.

A review by the regulator of the Air India's wide-bodies operations between June 12, the day of crash, and till 6 pm Tuesday also showed, the airline cancelled a total of 83 flights, including 66 by Dreamliners.

On Tuesday alone, 13 Dreamliner services were cancelled. Air India was scheduled to operate 462 flights, including 248 by Dreamliner flight, between June 12 and till 6 pm on June 17.

This was disclosed by the DGCA in a statement after it held a meeting with senior officials of Air India Ltd and Air India Express, which currently operate over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors, to review its operations.

A day after the London Gatwick-bound Dreamliner's crash within a minute of its take-off from Ahmedabad airport, the DGCA had on June 13 ordered 'Enhanced Safety Inspection' of Air India's B787-8/9 Dreamliner fleet.

Of Air India's 33 Dreamliners, the statement said, 24 aircraft have "successfully completed the required check" as of 3 pm on Tuesday. It said four aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various Maintenance and Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities and an additional two aircraft are planned for completion on Tuesday, with one more scheduled for Wednesday.

"The remaining six aircraft, include two aircraft, which are presently AOG (Aircraft on Ground) at Delhi. The checks on these two will be carried out post-declaration of serviceability and prior to their return to service. The remaining four aircraft currently under MRO will undergo the mandated check prior to their release from the respective maintenance hangars," it said.

The DGCA also said its "recent surveillance" conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet "did not reveal any major safety concerns" and the aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards.

At the meeting, the regulator recommended the implementation of a "more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism" to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates. This is expected to enhance overall decision-making and reduce downstream disruptions, the DGCA said.

During the meeting, DGCA also raised concerns regarding recent maintenance related issues reported by Air India and was advised to strengthen its internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations.

It also said the impact of recent airspace closures, particularly over Iranian airspace, was reviewed and it had led to flight diversions, delays, and cancellations. The operators have been asked to ensure timely communication with passengers and crew and adopt alternate routing strategies to minimise disruptions, it said.

"The operators were reminded of their obligations under the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements...to inform passengers well in advance regarding delays and cancellations. Emphasis was placed on effective passenger facilitation and timely dissemination of information through all available channels," it added.