In email to flyers, Air India CEO lists safety inspections & steps

Mumbai: A week after the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft accident that left 275 people dead, Air India embarked on a confidence-building drive by emailing its passengers and frequent flyers a letter from the airline CEO listing the safety inspections and other measures it has taken.

The letter comes in the wake of reduced demand for Air India flight tickets on medium and long haul sectors, as indicated by the drop in the airline’s airfares.The airline announced a temporary 15% reduction in its international wide-body flights starting June 20 through to at least mid-July. “This will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues,” the airline said. “If your flight is impacted, we will contact you to offer rebooking on another flight at no extra cost, or a full refund,” it said, adding that the updated international schedule will be shared in a few days.The airline cited “enhanced safety inspections mandated after the tragic crash” as the reason for the reduction in its flight operations to destinations in the US and Europe, among others. Of the 33 B787 aircraft in its fleet, safety inspections have been completed for 26 and these were cleared for service, it said. “Following the review, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that our Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards,” the letter said.

“As a confidence-building measure, we elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft, for the time being,” it added.The airline added the aircraft which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 was piloted by a commander with more than 10,000 hours of flying experience on wide-body aircraft and a first officer with 3,400 hours, the letter said. “The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025.

Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight,” it added.