India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has directed domestic airlines operating Boeing aircraft to carry out immediate inspections of the locking mechanisms on fuel control switches.
The order applies to all India-registered Boeing planes, with a deadline of July 21 for compliance confirmation.
The directive comes in response to safety concerns highlighted in a 2018 airworthiness bulletin issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which pointed to potential issues in the locking system of the switches that control fuel flow to aircraft engines.
In India, only two airlines operate the Boeing Dreamliner.
Air India has a fleet of around 30 Dreamliners, including both the 787-8 and 787-9 models, while IndiGo recently began operating the 787-9 variant.
According to sources, Air India has already completed checks on approximately half its Dreamliner fleet, with no defects reported so far. Similar inspections on most of Air India Express’ Boeing 737 Max aircraft have also shown no faults.
The urgency follows a preliminary investigation into the June 12 crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.
The aircraft, carrying 272 passengers and crew, lost both engines within 32 seconds of departure due to the sudden shift of the fuel control switches from the ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ positions - an action that should be mechanically locked and only operable by deliberate pilot action.
The crash resulted in the deaths of all but one person on board, along with 19 people on the ground.
The report revealed that Air India had not conducted the FAA-recommended inspection of the fuel switch locking mechanism, as it was not mandatory at the time. However, it noted that the aircraft's right engine had been overhauled and the left one inspected earlier this year. The plane’s Throttle Control Module (TCM) - which houses the fuel switches - had also been replaced in 2019 and 2023.
The TCM manages airflow into the engines and regulates power output. Any malfunction in the fuel switch locking mechanism could pose significant safety risks.
Following the release of the report, Etihad Airways initiated its own inspections of Dreamliner aircraft “out of an abundance of caution.” The airline instructed engineers to ensure that fuel switches on both engines cannot be moved between ‘CUTOFF’ and ‘RUN’ without lifting the locking lever. Any movement without lifting would deem the switch faulty and require TCM replacement.
Indian airlines have been advised to follow a similar procedure.
On Sunday, both the FAA and Boeing reiterated the safety of the fuel control switches. However, the incident has renewed attention on long-standing advisories that were not enforced as mandatory.