Amid fuel switch concerns, DGCA orders mandatory aircraft, jet & component inspections by July 21 for 787, several other Boeing models

A number of airplane maker Boeing’s India-registered aircraft, jet engines and related components will be mandatorily inspected for their airworthiness. Issuing guidelines in this regard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)–the country’s civil aviation regulator–said on Monday that the compulsory inspection will need to be completed by July 21, 2025. This inspection will include a number of aircraft models, including the 787. The news follows the tragic crash of Air India’s Flight 171 (Ahmedabad-London), operated with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, shortly after takeoff on June 12, 2025, resulting in the deaths of all but one on board, and several people on the ground.

“It has come to the notice of DGCA, that several operators–international as well as domestic–have initiated inspection on their aircraft fleet in accordance with the Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin NM-18-33, dated December 17, 2018,” wrote the DGCA. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration’s December 2018 advisory recommended operators of several Boeing models, including the 787 Dreamliner, to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches.

The development assumes significance as it follows a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into Air India’s Boeing 787-8 crash–which killed 260 people last month, raised questions over engine fuel cutoff switches.

“Inspection plan and report after accomplishment of inspection shall be submitted to this office under intimatioń to concerned Regional Office. Strict adherence to the timeline is essential to ensure continued airworthiness and safety of operations,” it noted.

ALSO READ: Air India Crash: Fuel cutoff moments after take-off, cockpit confusion, ignored FAA warning | 11 key takeaways from AAIB preliminary report

The FAA advisory mentioned the “potential for disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature” on the following Boeing aircraft series:

• 717-200
• 737-700
• 737-700C
• 737-800
• 737–900ER
• 737-8
• 737-9
• 747-400
• 747-400D
• 747-400F
• 747-8
• 747-8F
• 757-200
• 747-200CВ
• 747-200PF
• 747-300
• 767-200
• 767-300
• 767-300F
• 767-400ER
• 767-2C
• 787-8
• 787-9
• 787-10
• MD-11
• MD-11F
• MD-90-30

ALSO READ: Air India Plane Crash: ‘We cannot say anything definite at this point,’ says Minister Murlidhar Mohol on AAIB’s preliminary report