Civil aviation authorities in India and Japan have ordered inspections of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner following the crash of an Air India flight on Thursday, while U.S. transportation officials said they saw no reason to ground the aircraft.
According to The Times of India, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation is requiring inspections for all 787-8s and 787-9s operated by Air India. The carrier has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
The DGCA told Air India to check a number of the aircraft’s systems, including hydraulics, the cabin air compressor, and the electronic engine control unit.
Japan is taking similar measures. Mainichi Shimbun reported Friday that the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism has instructed All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and low-cost carrier Zipair Tokyo to check their 787s’ engines and airframes. The aircraft are not being grounded, the ministry clarified.
U.S. transportation officials have not indicated that they will order new inspections of the 787. When asked by a reporter if he had any concerns about the aircraft’s safety or thought it should be grounded, FAA acting administrator Chris Rocheleau said it was too soon to make that determination.
“As we proceed down this road with the investigation itself, if there’s any information that becomes available to us regarding any risk, we will mitigate those risks immediately,” he said.
The Air India flight was taking off from an airport in the city of Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick with 242 people on board when it lost altitude and crashed into the campus of a medical college. Indian police officials have put the death toll at 269, but that number could rise.
