The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked Air India to explain why it continues to operate the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner despite recurring technical problems, sources quoted by PTI said.
The aviation watchdog also issued a show-cause notice to Air India highlighting the repeated technical issues that recently hit Dreamliner VT-ANI. According to sources, the show-cause notice also mentions non-compliance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for the flight operated on June 28.
Sources said the regulator flagged safety concerns regarding aircraft handling, MEL compliance and flight crew decision-making during flights AI 258 and AI 357 — flights that operated on the Delhi-Tokyo routes.
Among other aspects, the regulator mentioned that the plane was operated despite prior knowledge of repeated glitches and existing system degradations, the sources said.
It was also not immediately clear whether the VT-ANI aircraft is now out of service.
