DGCA Seeks Explanation From Air India For Operating Dreamliner Despite Snags
Non-compliance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for the flight operated on June 28 this year has been mentioned in the notice.
By PTI
Published : December 31, 2025 at 10:24 PM IST
Mumbai: Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought an explanation from Air India for operating a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner despite repetitive technical snags, according to sources.
In a show-cause notice issued this week, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has flagged snags pertaining to Dreamliner VT-ANI.
Non-compliance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for the flight operated on June 28 this year has also been mentioned in the notice. According to sources, the regulator has flagged that there were safety concerns related to aircraft dispatch, MEL compliance and flight crew decision-making during the operation of flights AI 258 and AI 357.
While details about the dates of operations for these flights could not be immediately ascertained, these flights operate on the Delhi-Tokyo route. Among other aspects, the regulator has mentioned that the aircraft was operated despite prior knowledge of repeated snags and existing system degradations, the sources said. There was no comment from Air India.
It was also not immediately clear whether the aircraft VT-ANI is out of operation now.
In October, an Air India Dreamliner aircraft faced a technical issue at the Milan airport, forcing the airline to cancel its flight to Delhi and leaving over 250 passengers stranded in the Italian city.
Most of the passengers were rebooked in flight on October 20, which was also Diwali. Air India had said flight AI138 from Milan to Delhi on October 17 was cancelled due to an extended technical requirement on the aircraft scheduled to operate the flight.
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