India is looking at the possibility of grounding the entire fleet of Boeing 787-8 in its domestic airlines fleet pending initial enquiry into Thursday’s Ahmedabad crash, sources told businessline.

The move comes after Air India’s Gatwick-bound aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad soon after take off on Thursday. This aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was purchased by Air India in 2012.

Air India has a fleet of 26 Boeing 787-8.

“The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is considering the possibility of grounding the Boeing 787-8 fleet in India,” sources confirmed to businessline.

“They are in discussions with Boeing India, the US NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).”

Previously, whistleblowers in the US had alleged manufacturing defects in Boeing 787s Dreamliner aircraft, and the risk it posed as the aeroplanes’ airframe age.

However, cases filed in the US on these allegations were settled in favour of Boeing.

“Air India’s 787 that crashed on Thursday was only 12 years old. It was serviceable and was not grounded previously,” sources said.

At present, Air India has had 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in its fleet since 2012. The airline is expected to receive another Dreamliner by the end of the year.

In a statement, Boeing said: “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them.”

Probe begins

On its part, the centre’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has started investigations into the tragedy.

Besides, the regulator DGCA is looking into the possibility of getting all the 787s in service checked once before any flight operations.

According to aviation industry expert Mark Martin of Martin Consulting, “the 787-8 has been in revenue service with Air India under government management for 15 years, and it has been one of the safest generation 5 plus passenger airliners ever made”.

“It’s shocking that, with qualified crew having extensive experience in flying hours and maintenance, we see a catastrophic incident such as this — from a privatised Air India,” said Martin.

Published on June 12, 2025