Air India boosts inspections, audits, employee support
Implements changes to rebuild confidence
Air India on Thursday said it has carried out a series of operational changes, including aircraft inspections, fleet reliability upgrades, stronger audits and employee support measures, as it seeks to rebuild confidence after the crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
In the immediate aftermath, Air India announced a voluntary safety pause in June 2025, temporarily reducing flights to allow additional checks and operational restructuring.
The airline said the pause enabled detailed inspections of Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft under DGCA supervision, with no issues found. It also inspected fuel control switch mechanisms of Boeing 737 and 787-8 aircraft and found no issues.
Air India said the additional aircraft downtime helped accelerate its Fleet Reliability Enhancement Programme covering Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
The airline said reliability programmes on its Boeing 787 fleet increased from 36 to 45 over the past year. Execution of initial programmes improved from nearly 75 per cent to 87 per cent, while overall completion rose from 48 per cent to 65 per cent.
It said more than 35 reliability enhancements have been incorporated during the ongoing Boeing 787 retrofit programme, supported by improved maintenance capabilities, spare parts availability and coordination with manufacturers.
Alongside aircraft upgrades, Air India also expanded its human performance and mental health support systems.
The airline said 265 psychologists were deployed under its Wellness.AI initiative to support employees and their families. Immediate counselling and follow-up sessions were provided to more than 900 cabin crew members.
Air India said existing support systems, including employee assistance programmes and internal counselling, were also strengthened.
The airline has also reinforced its internal audit system, increasing Delhi operations audits from once a year to twice a year and checks in other stations from once every two years to yearly.
The expanded audits cover engineering, ground handling, documentation, cargo operations and passenger processes.
Air India maintains that these steps are aimed at improving operational resilience and safety culture and are not linked to any identified airworthiness issue.
