Air India has disclosed that the Boeing 787-737 Dreamliner involved in last week’s fatal crash, flight AI171, had a well-documented maintenance history, with one newly installed engine.
The plane, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on December 12, 2024, killed 270 people, marking one of India’s worst aviation disasters in decades.
N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Air India and Tata Group, confirmed that the right engine was installed in March 2024, while the left, serviced in 2023, was not due for maintenance until December 2024.
This statement aims to counter speculation about the aircraft’s condition as investigators analyze the recovered black boxes.
The ongoing probe, led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with UK and US support, is focused on decoding flight data and cockpit audio to determine the crash’s factors.
Experts emphasize that engine age does not necessarily correlate with performance, particularly for the Genx-1B engines equipped with advanced monitoring systems.
Air India has responded by reducing its long-haul flights by 15% until mid-July, citing enhanced safety checks and Middle East airspace restrictions.
Inspections on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787 aircraft have been completed, with the remainder underway, alongside additional checks on its Boeing 777 fleet.
The crash poses a significant challenge for Air India, recently privatized under Tata Group ownership in 2022 and merged with Vistara, partly owned by Singapore Airlines.
The airline is navigating heightened scrutiny and operational adjustments while maintaining that its safety protocols, influenced by Singapore Airlines’ expertise, remain robust.
As the investigation progresses, preliminary findings are expected within a month, offering potential clarity on the tragedy that has shaken India’s aviation sector.