AI chief satisfied with Boeing 787s

Air India, with sizable fleet of Dreamliners, said issues related to fuel efficiency and equipment supply would be analysed during 18 months ending Nov

Government carrier Air India said it had no plan to ground its Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. It said these were operating well and there were no safety concerns.

Both Boeing and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have looked into every fleet incident reported in the past 18 months and had assured against a safety issue, said AI's chairman and managing director, Rohit Nandan.

"The incidents being reported are usual in a new aircraft and everyone was trying to adjust to the new machines. These relate to minor software-related issues or some small technical snags. However, we are quite satisfied with the quality of service, the fleet's economics, among others," he said here on Wednesday.

Dreamliners entered the AI fleet last year. The number of incidents involving such snags was gradually coming down, added Nandan, while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of India Aviation 2014.

Air India, which has a sizable fleet of Dreamliners, said issues related to fuel efficiency and equipment supply would be analysed during the 18 months ending November this year.

The airline is phasing out some of its ageing planes. Under this, "nine very old ATRs and 19 A320s would be off the fleet soon," said Nandan.