New Delhi: In a move that could hurt its financial performance, Air India has grounded its entire fleet of six Boeing 787 aircraft, popularly called the Dreamliner. In a statement, the airline said that it has “temporarily stopped operations,” with senior officials indicating that the aircraft could return to service in three-five days.
The move for grounding the fleet started at 3 a.m. on Thursday when the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) received a communication from the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), pointing to problems with the battery on the Boeing 787.
In the communication, FAA said that as a result of an in-flight Boeing 787 battery incident in Japan, it was issuing an emergency airworthiness directive to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and will require operators to temporarily cease operations of the aircraft.
Following the early morning communication, the DGCA asked AI to ground the fleet. AI has ordered 27 Boeing 787 aircraft.
For the time being, Air India has “closed” bookings on flights operated by the aircraft. The airline is deploying other aircraft in its fleet to transport passengers booked on the Boeing 787, the airline said.
17/01/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line
