India’s aviation regulator has instructed all airlines to inspect fuel switch systems on Boeing aircraft following a deadly crash in Gujarat last month that killed 241 people.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday directed all domestic airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking mechanism in their Boeing aircraft by 21 July, in line with guidance from U.S. regulators.
The move follows a preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the 12 June crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India. The report found that both engines lost power after confusion in the cockpit over the position of the engine fuel switches, resulting in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India in decades.
The DGCA referenced a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in December 2018, which highlighted concerns over the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature.
Fuel control switches are critical components that manage the flow of fuel to an aircraft’s engines. The AAIB report did not identify any mechanical or engine failure, nor did it recommend immediate action against Boeing or the aircraft model.
India’s major carriers, including Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, operate Boeing 787 and 737 jets and are expected to comply with the directive.
Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson confirmed that all maintenance checks had been completed as required and said the AAIB report found no fault with the aircraft or its engines.
Meanwhile, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA-India) has demanded greater transparency in the investigation. In a statement, the association objected to what it called a narrative presuming pilot error.
“We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots, and we strongly object to this line of thought,” said ALPA-India president Sam Thomas.
The London-bound flight crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
As investigations continue, the DGCA's latest directive seeks to ensure that similar fuel switch confusion does not jeopardise future flights.
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the v...
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch sy...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the virus in Bas-Uélé in the north, the African Union’s health agency said.
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch system and return to steam-powered catapults on a future aircraft carrier, while also authorising limited overseas ship construction to help address naval capacity shortfalls.
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Cuba and the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo ordered the withdrawal of several Cuban diplomats and their family members, prompting a sharp response from Havana.
Brazil has taken the first formal step towards potential retaliatory action against the United States following the Trump administration's decision to impose new tariffs on Brazilian exports, signalling a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that reports about poor conditions aboard aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East were "completely misrepresented."
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment