Air India has completed re-checking of the fuel control switches in all its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. This step was taken after a switch related problem occurred in a flight coming from London to Bengaluru. The airline has confirmed that no technical faults have been found in the remaining aircraft in the fleet and the report has been submitted to the regulator. This precautionary investigation was done keeping security in mind.
What happened on the London to Bangalore flight?
The incident occurred on February 1, 2026, when Air India flight AI132, flying from London Heathrow to Bengaluru, experienced technical problems. The Fuel Control Switch (FCS) was not properly set to the ‘RUN’ position during engine start on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft (VT-ANX).
According to the report, the switch did not lock into place in the first two attempts, but it started working properly in the third attempt. After this the plane took off and landed safely in Bengaluru. Upon reaching there the aircraft was grounded for investigation. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) has raised questions on this and asked why the flight was carried out despite technical problems.
What action did DGCA and Air India take?
DGCA officials in Bengaluru closely examined both the fuel control switches of this aircraft. Investigation found that the locking system of the switch was correct and there was no slip in it. Officials believe that the problem may have been caused by applying pressure in the wrong direction while turning the switch.
Air India has decided to replace the switch module, which has completed only 3,440 hours of flight time while its life span is 20,000 hours. This part will be sent to Boeing for investigation. Also, DGCA has advised to give proper training to the crew on Boeing’s procedures so that such mistakes do not happen in future.
