India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country's aviation safety regulator, has issued a show-cause notice to Air India, demanding an explanation for operating a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (registration VT-ANI) despite recurring technical issues. The DGCA's notice emphasizes safety concerns, citing potential non-compliance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) during flights, particularly on the Delhi-Tokyo route.
The show-cause notice, issued this week, specifically addresses the operation of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, VT-ANI. A key concern raised by the DGCA is the alleged non-compliance with the MEL for a flight operated on June 28th of this year. The MEL is a critical document that outlines the conditions under which an aircraft can be dispatched safely, even if certain equipment is not fully functional.
Further scrutiny by the DGCA indicates that the aircraft was allegedly operated despite Air India's awareness of persistent snags and existing system degradations. This raises concerns about a potential disregard for safety protocols by continuing flights under known compromised conditions. The regulator has specifically flagged safety concerns related to aircraft dispatch, MEL compliance, and flight crew decision-making during the operation of flights AI 258 and AI 357. While the exact dates of these flights are still being determined, they both operate on the Delhi-Tokyo route.
Air India has not yet issued an official comment on the matter. It also remains unclear whether the aircraft VT-ANI has been taken out of service following the notice.
This incident follows a previous disruption in October, when an Air India Dreamliner aircraft experienced a technical issue at Milan airport. The issue led to the cancellation of a flight to Delhi, stranding over 250 passengers. While most passengers were rebooked on a flight on October 20th, which coincided with Diwali, the incident highlighted existing concerns about the reliability of Air India's Dreamliner fleet. Air India stated that flight AI138 from Milan to Delhi on October 17th was canceled due to an "extended technical requirement" on the aircraft.
