Air India says ‘no issues’ found with fuel control locking mechanisms

Air India says no issues have been found with the locking mechanism of the fuel control switches on its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, following “precautionary inspections”.

The inspections were conducted after an interim report on the air accident investigation into a fatal crash on June 12 which killed 229 passengers and 12 crew plus 19 people on the ground in Ahmedabad.

The report revealed fuel switches to both engines were turned off, causing the aircraft to stall and crash, but a flight deck recording suggested neither the pilot nor co-pilot were aware.

More: Analysis: Interim Air India crash report flags serious concerns

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the airline said it had completed the inspections on its Boeing 787s and the Boeing 737 aircraft which are part of the fleet of its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express.

The statement said: “Air India has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet.

“In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism. Air India had started voluntary inspections on 12 July and completed them within the prescribed time limit set by the DGCA. The same has been communicated to the regulator.

“Air India remains committed to the safety of passengers and crew members.”