Boeing Dreamliners

DGCA defends duty-hour extension for Air India 787 pilots, cites ops needs

The aviation regulator issued the clarification after pilots' body ALPA India urged it to withdraw the relaxation, arguing that the move could lead to fatigue-induced errors

Pilots' body urges DGCA to revoke extended duty hours for Dreamliner crew

Pilots' body ALPA India on Sunday urged aviation watchdog DGCA to withdraw the flight duty time extension for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operations, saying the decision creates a "scenario ripe for fatigue induced errors". For the Boeing 787, two-man flight crew operations, the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) has been increased to 10.30 hours from 10 hours and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) to 14.00 hours from 13 hours. FDP refers to the time duration when a flight crew member is on duty for operating an aircraft and ends when a plane comes to rest at the end of the flight. Tata Group-owned Air India operates Dreamliners. In a letter to the regulator, Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) said the whole idea of formulating a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on FDTL was based on extensive research and scientific study on human fatigue and its operational consequences. "The present deviation gives the impression that the DGCA is placing greater considerati

Air India Dreamliner faces a technical issue at Hong Kong airport

An Air India Dreamliner aircraft faced a technical issue at the Hong Kong airport on Thursday morning and underwent checks before being cleared to fly to Delhi. The Boeing 787-8 plane VT-ANO, which faced the issue on Thursday, is the same aircraft in which the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed seconds before landing at the Birmingham airport on October 4. "AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 October was delayed due to a minor issue necessitating a reset of a component. "The aircraft underwent checks, took off after being cleared for operation and landed in Delhi," an airline spokesperson said in a statement to PTI. As per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, AI315, operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft VT-ANO, was scheduled to take off from the Hong Kong airport at around 8.50 am (local time) but was delayed and departed at about 11.30 am. The spokesperson also said that at Air India, the safety of passengers remains top priority. On October

Pilot body demands grounding of Air India's B-787s over technical failures

The Federation of Indian Pilots highlighted two recent incidents when the aircraft suffered serious systems' failures, including deployment of the emergency turbine motor in one case

FAA restores Boeing's ability to certify Max jets over 6 yrs after crashes

Boeing is getting back the ability to perform final safety inspections on 737 Max jetliners and certify the planes for flight more than six years after crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. The FAA said it decided to restore the aerospace company's authorisation to issue airworthiness certificates for Max and 787 Dreamliner passenger planes starting Monday following a thorough review of Boeing's ongoing production quality. Federal regulators took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft. The FAA ended the company's right to self-certify Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues. Going forward, Boeing and FAA inspectors will take weekly turns performing the safety checks that are required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to fly. The FAA said the arrangement will

Air India to halt Delhi-Washington direct flights from Sept 1: Here's why

Air India to stop Delhi-Washington direct flights from September 1 due to Boeing 787 retrofits and Pakistani airspace closure, with one-stop connections still available

Dealing with an air crash: Focus on institutional reform, not info leaks

Could the authorities have prevented such unfortunate developments in the wake of the report on the aircraft crash?

Ahmedabad plane crash probe: New details shift focus to senior pilot

The first officer who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner asked the other captain, who was more experienced, why he moved the switches to the 'cutoff' position after it climbed off the runway

Parl panel summons Boeing officials, civil aviation secy in Air India crash

The committee is likely to conduct a detailed study of the plane crash and is planning to hold deliberations with several stakeholders, including Air India, DGCA, and Boeing

Air India flew Airbus jets with overdue checks days before fatal 787 crash

DGCA flagged Air India for flying planes with overdue emergency equipment checks; however, these warnings were not related to the cause of the June 13 plane crash

AI171 black box not being sent to US for forensic probe, clarifies Centre

Crucial flight data recovery from the charred recorders of AI-171 may unlock the truth behind the deadly crash. Here's why the US lab is now involved

Air India crash: 177 DNA matches confirmed, says Gujarat HM Sanghavi

On the day of the crash, 71 injured individuals were admitted to the Civil Hospital, with 42 subsequently discharged and currently, nine patients remain admitted, while two succumbed to their injuries

Air India cancels Delhi-Dubai flight; 6th 787 Dreamliner cancelled today

Several Air India flights have faced cancellations and diversions over the past week following increased scrutiny of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner after the horrific crash last week in Ahmedabad

Air India cancels Delhi-Paris flight amid technical snag, wider disruptions

Air India cancels multiple international services, including to Paris, London, and Mumbai, due to technical issues, safety checks, and airspace restrictions

Air India cancels Ahmedabad-London flight over aircraft unavailability

Air India's Ahmedabad-London flight AI-159 cancelled over unavailability of the aircraft; this marks fourth Air India flight disruption in 24 hours

Air India plane crash: Centre's probe panel to submit report in 3 months

A high-level multi-disciplinary committee formed by the Centre to investigate the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash will submit its report within three months, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said on Tuesday. The Air India operates 34 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The safety checks of 12 of them have been done and no issue has been found so far, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation told reporters here. He also expressed hope that an analysis of the plane's black box data will provide clues about the cause of the crash. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171) with 230 passengers and 12 crew members crashed into the complex of a medical college moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12. One person survived the crash, while 241 on board and 29 on the ground were killed, as per officials. The Centre on Saturday set up a high-level multi-disciplinary panel to ascertain the "root cause" of the crash of the London-bound

'We don't want to continue': Air India pilot returns flight to Hong Kong

The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the same as the one involved in the brutal crash that killed 241 people out of 242 on board in Ahmedabad

Delhi-bound Air India Dreamliner returns to Hong Kong due to tech glitch

Flight AI315, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, turned back as a precaution after the pilot detected a potential problem mid-air

Air India crash: Vijay Rupani to be cremated today with full state honours

According to officials, Rupani's mortal remains will be received from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital at 11:30 am and transported to Rajkot by air, where it is expected to arrive by 2 pm

Boeing Dreamliner to Hyderabad turns back to Frankfurt after 'bomb threat'

A Lufthansa Boeing Dreamliner bound for Hyderabad returned to Frankfurt mid-air after passengers were informed the flight lacked landing clearance after receiving a bomb threat