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UK demands explanation from Air India over fuel switch incident, warns of regulatory action
The UK civil aviation authority (CAA) has warned Air India about possible regulatory action against the airline and its Boeing 787 fleet.
Britain's aviation authority has demanded an explanation from Air India over how a Boeing Dreamliner passenger aircraft, which was grounded in India for safety checks, departed London on Sunday despite concerns about a potentially faulty fuel switch and warned of a possible regulatory action, a letter reportedly says.
An Air India pilot reported a fault in the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft on February 2 after operating the AI132 flight. The airline grounded the plane for inspection after it landed in Bengaluru later that day.
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UK aviation authority seeks details from Air India, warns of action
The UK civil aviation authority (CAA) has warned Air India about possible regulatory action against the airline and its Boeing 787 fleet if it fails to submit a full reply within a week, according to a letter dated Tuesday, news agency Reuters reported.
In a statement, the CAA said it is routine for a regulator to seek information after "an aircraft incident and is in line with safety assurance procedures".
Fuel switches were a key factor in last year’s crash involving an Air India Dreamliner that killed more than 250 people in Gujarat and led to closer scrutiny of the airline. The switches control the flow of jet fuel to an aircraft’s engines.
The CAA told Air India it must submit "a detailed account of all maintenance actions performed to ensure the continued airworthiness of the aircraft and to support its release to service for" Bengaluru.
The UK regulator has also asked for a "comprehensive root-cause analysis" of the incident and a "preventive action plan" to avoid similar issues across Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, as per report.
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What Air India, DGCA said on fuel switch incident
Air India said in a statement to Reuters that it had conducted a precautionary reinspection of the switches and found no problems. It added that it would "respond to the UK regulator accordingly".
The Indian aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), in its initial review, found that "apparently correct procedure" was not followed while operating the switch. The airline has been directed to ensure that the flight crew adhere to the prescribed procedures.
In an internal memo issued on Wednesday, Air India said it had also checked the fuel switches on all its Boeing 787 aircraft and that “no issues were found”, the report said.
With inputs from agencies
