
DGCA Gives Clean Chit To India’s Boeing Fleet
India-West News Desk
NEW DELHI — India’s top aviation safety authority said on June 17 that a thorough inspection of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet has not uncovered any serious safety issues, just days after one of the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, killing at least 271 people.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in its official statement, confirmed that “the aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards.” The assessment follows intensified scrutiny after the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad — one of the deadliest air disasters in recent Indian aviation history.
The doomed flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London, had 242 people on board. It went down moments after takeoff, striking residential buildings near the airport. Only one passenger survived. Nearly 30 people on the ground also lost their lives.
In the aftermath, the DGCA had ordered an “enhanced safety inspection” of the airline’s 787 fleet. As of June 17, 24 of Air India’s 33 Dreamliners had completed the process.
While the regulator found no systemic safety lapses, it did flag concerns during a high-level review meeting with Air India executives. According to the DGCA, the airline was advised to strictly comply with regulatory protocols, improve coordination between departments, and ensure adequate spare parts inventory to minimize flight delays and maintenance issues.
A separate inquiry involving aviation experts and Boeing is underway.