New Delhi, July 15 - India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued a directive mandating all airlines operating Boeing aircraft, specifically the 787 and 737 models, to inspect the locking mechanisms of fuel control switches by July 21, 2025. This order follows the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which occurred on June 12, 2025, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crash, one of the deadliest aviation incidents in India’s recent history, claimed 260 lives, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
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The preliminary investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) revealed that the fuel control switches, critical for regulating fuel flow to the aircraft’s engines, were moved from the “RUN” to the “CUTOFF” position within a second of each other, causing both engines to lose thrust and leading to the aircraft’s descent. The AAIB report noted confusion in the cockpit, with one pilot heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off, to which the response was a denial of any such action. The DGCA’s mandate aligns with a 2018 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB NM-18-33) issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which highlighted the potential for disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on various Boeing models, including the 737, 747, 757, 767, 787, MD-11, and MD-90 series.
While the FAA advisory was non-mandatory, indicating the issue was not deemed an immediate safety concern, the Air India crash has prompted heightened scrutiny. The DGCA’s order applies to Indian-registered aircraft operated by carriers such as Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, which collectively operate over 150 Boeing 737s and 787s. IndiGo’s leased Boeing aircraft are exempt from this directive. The DGCA emphasized that strict adherence to the July 21 deadline is essential for ensuring continued airworthiness and operational safety, requiring airlines to submit inspection plans and compliance reports. Air India has already inspected over half of its 33 Boeing 787s and found no issues with the locking mechanisms, with checks ongoing for the remaining fleet. Air India Express has similarly completed inspections on its 75 Boeing 737s, reporting no defects. The throttle control module, which houses the fuel switches, was replaced on the crashed aircraft in 2019 and 2023, with no reported issues since.
Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, has taken proactive measures by issuing a directive to its pilots to exercise caution when operating fuel control switches on Boeing 787s and ordering inspections of their locking mechanisms. This follows a private FAA communication on July 11, 2025, reiterating the 2018 advisory. Other international carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, have also initiated voluntary inspections, and South Korea is preparing similar mandates. Despite the FAA and Boeing asserting the switches’ safety, these actions reflect a global push for caution to prevent potential fuel cutoff incidents. The AAIB’s ongoing investigation continues to analyze flight data to determine whether the switch movement was due to human error, mechanical failure, or another cause, with no systemic issues identified yet.