Federation of Indian Pilots demands grounding of all B-787s

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written a stern letter to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, demanding the grounding of all B-787 aircraft in view of ongoing electrical problems, along with a special DGCA audit of Air India aircraft for maintenance.

The letter, issued following a series of mid-air technical failures, warns that the country’s Dreamliners are facing “repetitive and worsening electrical malfunctions” that could jeopardise lives if left unchecked.

Referring to the recent diversion of Air India flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi, FIP president CS Randhawa said the aircraft suffered “major technical issues where the autopilot system suddenly failed, triggering a series of malfunctions across critical systems.”

According to the association, the failure affected the Instrument Landing System (ILS), Flight Directors (FDs) and Flight Control System, forcing pilots to manually control the aircraft through the night sky before diverting to Dubai.

Just five days earlier, another Dreamliner, flight AI-117, encountered a serious malfunction while approaching Birmingham, when the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed mid-air due to an electrical fault.

The pilots’ association described these incidents as part of a “deepening pattern” of neglect, pointing to the earlier crash of AI-171, which it said should have served as a warning.

The FIP has urged the ministry to launch thorough investigations into both recent incidents, AI-117 and AI-154, and to immediately ground the Dreamliner fleet until all aircraft pass rigorous electrical and systems inspections.

Meanwhile, Air India categorically denied any electrical failure in the Vienna–Delhi flight, though it did not disclose the technical issue that led to the diversion to Dubai.