In brief
Air India asserts the reliability of its aircraft engines as investigations unfold following the tragic crash of flight AI171, highlighting concerns over air travel safety and operational protocols.
In the aftermath of the devastating Air India crash involving flight AI171, the chairman of the airline, N Chandrasekaran, revealed that one of the plane's engines was newly installed just months prior to the incident. In a discussion with an Indian news outlet, Chandrasekaran stated that the right engine was replaced in March 2025, while the left engine had undergone servicing in 2023 and was not due for another maintenance check until December 2025. He emphasized the "clean" operational history of both engines, urging against hasty conclusions as investigations progress.The tragic crash claimed the lives of at least 270 individuals, predominantly passengers, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in western India. Currently, investigators are meticulously examining debris and analyzing data from the aircraft’s black boxes, crucial for decoding the flight's catastrophic final moments and understanding the fundamental cause of the crash.Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, shared insights regarding the health of aircraft engines, emphasizing that an engine's age does not inherently indicate its condition. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner utilizes the advanced Genx-1B engines, which are monitored continuously through a system known as the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). This system enables real-time assessments of engine health, determining need for servicing based on data rather than a fixed maintenance schedule. Despite this, Chinta warned that certain vital components of the engines, referred to as Life Limited Parts (LLPs), have predetermined lifespans, ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 cycles—with each start and shutdown counting as a cycle.In light of the tragedy, Air India announced a temporary reduction of 15% in international operations involving wide-body aircraft until mid-July. This decision is motivated by heightened safety measures, increased scrutiny of crew and ground operations, as well as external concerns related to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. As of now, the airline has successfully completed inspections on 26 out of 33 of its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, all of which have been cleared for service following directives from India's aviation regulator mandating additional safety checks for Air India’s fleet due to the crash.The measures taken are understandably challenging for the airline but deemed necessary in the face of such a harrowing event. Experts have expressed concerns that this tragedy may impede Air India’s concerted effort to shift from being a historically troubled state-owned airline towards a revitalized privately-owned entity, especially after Tata Sons' acquisition of the carrier in 2022.
