New Delhi: Just days after the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight bound for London crashed within a minute after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12 killing 241 of the 242 people onboard, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday (June 17) said that surveillance conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet “did not reveal any major safety concerns”.

The airline regulatory body however also said that of the 16 Air India flights that were cancelled on Tuesday, 13 were from the same Boeing 787 fleet.

The DGCA’s statement came after a high-level meeting with Air India and Air India Express on Tuesday following the fatal crash last week, which has put the spotlight on safety concerns surrounding Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet.

“The recent surveillance conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards,” the DGCA said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

According to figures provided by the DGCA, since the crash on June 12, a majority of flights that have been cancelled by Air India include those using Boeing 787 aircraft.

On June 12, Air India cancelled 6 flights of which 5 were from the fleet, on June 13, of the 22 flights that were cancelled 11 from the fleet. On June 14, all 12 flights cancelled were Boeing 787. On June 15, of the 16 flights cancelled, 14 were Boeing 787.
On June 16 too, all 11 flights cancelled by Air India were Boeing 787.

Below is a table released by the DGCA:

The DGCA said that the safety inspection that the Boeing 787 fleet is now undergoing involves 33 aircraft.

“Of these, four aircraft are currently undergoing major checks at various MRO [Maintenance Repair and Overhaul] facilities. As of 1500 hrs on 17 June 2025, a total of 24 aircraft have successfully completed the required check. An additional two aircraft are planned for completion today, with one more scheduled for tomorrow,” the DGCA said.

“The remaining six aircraft include two aircraft, which are presently AOG [Aircraft on Ground] at Delhi. The checks on these two will be carried out post-declaration of serviceability and prior to their return to service. The remaining four aircraft currently under MRO will undergo the mandated check prior to their release from the respective maintenance hangars.”

The DGCA said that it has recommended “the implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates.”

“This is expected to enhance overall decision-making and reduce downstream disruptions,” it said.

On Tuesday, a total of 50 Air India flights – both domestic and international – were to operate, of which 16 were cancelled, according to DGCA data.

Of the 16 flights that were cancelled, 13 were from the Boeing 787 fleet.

The DGCA said that a high-level meeting with senior officials of Air India and Air India Express was held on Tuesday, during which the airline regulatory body raised concerns regarding recent maintenance-related issues reported by Air India.

“The airline was advised to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units  and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations," the DGCA statement said.

Of the international routes operated by Air India, those that were cancelled included Delhi-Dubai (AI 915), Delhi-Vienna (AI 153), Delhi-Paris (AI 143), Ahmedabad-London (AI 159), Bengaluru-London (AI 133) and London-Amritsar (AI 170).

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