DGCA: 66 Air India Boeing 787 Flights Cancelled Since Ahmedabad Crash; No Major Safety Gaps Found

India’s civil aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday said Air India has cancelled 66 flights operated with Boeing 787 aircraft since the fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said a recent surveillance inspection of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet revealed no major safety issues. “The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found compliant with existing safety standards,” the DGCA noted.

However, the regulator flagged concerns over maintenance-related issues and directed the airline to improve coordination among departments to ensure better oversight and safety compliance.

The statement followed a comprehensive review of Air India and Air India Express operations in the aftermath of the June 12 crash, which killed 241 of the 242 people onboard and caused additional fatalities on the ground. The crash involved a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, striking a nearby hostel complex.

The cancellations since June 12 include several Dreamliner services that were scheduled for Tuesday. Some of the affected flights were:

• AI915 – Delhi to Dubai – Boeing 787-8

• AI153 – Delhi to Vienna – Boeing 787-8

• AI143 – Delhi to Paris – Boeing 787-8

• AI159 – Ahmedabad to London – Boeing 787-8

• AI170 – London to Amritsar – Boeing 787-8

• AI133 – Bengaluru to London – Boeing 787-8

• AI179 – Mumbai to San Francisco – Boeing 777

The majority of cancellations are linked to intensified inspections and aircraft unavailability following the crash.

Notably, Air India had resumed its Ahmedabad to London Gatwick service on Monday with a new flight number (AI159), replacing the ill-fated AI171. However, the Tuesday flight was again cancelled due to the non-availability of a suitable aircraft.