NEW DELHI: In another technical issue with one of its Dreamliners, an Air India Boeing 787 (VT-ANC) operating from Vienna to Delhi on Thursday night diverted to Dubai following a technical snag. The same aircraft subsequently took off for Delhi after its auto pilot as reset and landed at IGI Airport around noon on Friday.
While AI maintains there was no safety issue with the aircraft, this is was the second instance within a week with its Dreamliners. Last Saturday (Oct 4) the ram air turbine (RAT) of an AI Dreamliner had deployed on its final approach to Birmingham. The Federation of Indian Pilots ( FIP ) on Friday asked the aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to “ground all B787s in light of continuous electrical problems” and also order a “special audit of AI aircraft maintenance.” AI maintains its Boeing 787s were found to be perfectly safe to fly after each one of them was checked extensively after AI 171 crash.
An AI spokesperson said the Vienna-Delhi flight was diverted due to a technical issue. “The aircraft landed safely at Dubai and underwent necessary checks. All passengers were kept informed of the delay, provided refreshments and the flight, operated by the same aircraft, departed Dubai at 8.45 am (IST) and landed in Delhi at 12.19 pm (IST). At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority…. there was (no) electrical failure in the said aircraft.”
The DGCA is probing last Saturday’s RAT deployment. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the June 12 AI 171 crash of an AI Dreamliner.
The FIP said in its Friday mail to govt: “Since June 16, we have reiterated that all B-787s in the country must be checked thoroughly for electrical systems. On Oct 4, RAT deployed on AI-117 while on approach to Birmingham. On October 9, AI 154 Vienna to Delhi diverted to Dubai which had major technical issues where the autopilot system suddenly failed triggering a series of technical malfunctions. The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems which included Autopilots, instrument landing system and flight control system degradation with no autoland capability.”
“The pilots could not engage the autopilots due electrical malfunctions; thus, pilots were constrained to fly manually at night and divert to Dubai. Moreover, the FD's were not available with degraded flight control systems. The aircraft landed safely at Dubai. We compliment the skill of the pilots to fly the aircraft at night safely to Dubai with limited automation/systems Two incidents of electrical malfunctions in a short span of time are indicators of poor serviceability by AI,” FIP added.
Regarding last Saturday’s RAT deployment, Air India said in: “On Oct 4, 2025, the operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, detected the deployment of RAT of the aircraft during its final approach. The crew had found all electrical and hydraulic parameters to be normal, and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport. At no point during the flight was there any loss of power or control systems. The aircraft was subsequently grounded for further inspections. Based on the conclusions from our preliminary investigations, the deployment of the RAT was neither due to a system fault nor pilot action.”
“The deployment of the RAT was ‘uncommanded’, consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past, as reported by Boeing. Air India had notified the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA, about the occurrence and has submitted the preliminary report to the regulator in accordance with the prescribed guidelines. The aircraft was subsequently cleared for service, and it operated from Birmingham to Delhi on 5 October. At Air India, the safety of all passengers and crew remains our foremost priority,” AI statement added.
While AI maintains there was no safety issue with the aircraft, this is was the second instance within a week with its Dreamliners. Last Saturday (Oct 4) the ram air turbine (RAT) of an AI Dreamliner had deployed on its final approach to Birmingham. The Federation of Indian Pilots ( FIP ) on Friday asked the aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to “ground all B787s in light of continuous electrical problems” and also order a “special audit of AI aircraft maintenance.” AI maintains its Boeing 787s were found to be perfectly safe to fly after each one of them was checked extensively after AI 171 crash.
An AI spokesperson said the Vienna-Delhi flight was diverted due to a technical issue. “The aircraft landed safely at Dubai and underwent necessary checks. All passengers were kept informed of the delay, provided refreshments and the flight, operated by the same aircraft, departed Dubai at 8.45 am (IST) and landed in Delhi at 12.19 pm (IST). At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority…. there was (no) electrical failure in the said aircraft.”
The DGCA is probing last Saturday’s RAT deployment. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the June 12 AI 171 crash of an AI Dreamliner.
The FIP said in its Friday mail to govt: “Since June 16, we have reiterated that all B-787s in the country must be checked thoroughly for electrical systems. On Oct 4, RAT deployed on AI-117 while on approach to Birmingham. On October 9, AI 154 Vienna to Delhi diverted to Dubai which had major technical issues where the autopilot system suddenly failed triggering a series of technical malfunctions. The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems which included Autopilots, instrument landing system and flight control system degradation with no autoland capability.”
“The pilots could not engage the autopilots due electrical malfunctions; thus, pilots were constrained to fly manually at night and divert to Dubai. Moreover, the FD's were not available with degraded flight control systems. The aircraft landed safely at Dubai. We compliment the skill of the pilots to fly the aircraft at night safely to Dubai with limited automation/systems Two incidents of electrical malfunctions in a short span of time are indicators of poor serviceability by AI,” FIP added.
Regarding last Saturday’s RAT deployment, Air India said in: “On Oct 4, 2025, the operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, detected the deployment of RAT of the aircraft during its final approach. The crew had found all electrical and hydraulic parameters to be normal, and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport. At no point during the flight was there any loss of power or control systems. The aircraft was subsequently grounded for further inspections. Based on the conclusions from our preliminary investigations, the deployment of the RAT was neither due to a system fault nor pilot action.”
“The deployment of the RAT was ‘uncommanded’, consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past, as reported by Boeing. Air India had notified the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA, about the occurrence and has submitted the preliminary report to the regulator in accordance with the prescribed guidelines. The aircraft was subsequently cleared for service, and it operated from Birmingham to Delhi on 5 October. At Air India, the safety of all passengers and crew remains our foremost priority,” AI statement added.
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