The mandated extra checks of Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft have not revealed any major safety concerns, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said.

The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with safety standards, it said on Tuesday after a review meeting with Air India.

The DGCA, however, raised concerns over maintenance practices at Air India which are resulting in flight delays.

“DGCA 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 regulator said in a statement.

The review was carried out on Tuesday when 16 flights were cancelled; 13 of the services were to fly Boeing 787 aircraft. In the last six days, AI has cancelled 83 flights, 66 involving 787s. The regulator recommended the implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates.

MP flags delay

For Air India, it was a day of delays, and diversions due to technical snags and inclement weather.

Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule flagged the issue of a three-hour delay of a Pune-Delhi flight (operated by Airbus A320 aircraft).

“No clear communication, no updates, no assistance and very bad service. Such delays and mismanagement are becoming a norm with Air India,” Sule said in a X post on Tuesday evening.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu responded stating that the airline and the airport have been asked to address the concerns of passengers.

Over the past two days, at least three Air India aircraft have been grounded (two Boeing 787s and one Boeing 777) in Kolkata, Hong Kong and Zurich for technical reasons.

airspace closure

The enhanced flying time due to closure of airspace by Iran and Iraq is also creating challenges.

Now, Air India flights bound for Europe and the US are taking a southerly route over Saudi Arabia and Egypt and this has increased flight times.

On Tuesday, AI cancelled its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight, now operating under a different number, inconveniencing passengers.

Passengers wait at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport after Air India’s flight to London from Ahmedabad, which has started operating with a new code post-June 12 crash of AI-171 plane, was cancelled due to “operational issues”, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday

Passengers wait at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport after Air India’s flight to London from Ahmedabad, which has started operating with a new code post-June 12 crash of AI-171 plane, was cancelled due to “operational issues”, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday

Published on June 17, 2025