Air India concludes fuel switch inspections on Boeing jets, finds ‘no issues’

Air India has announced that it has found “no issues” with the locking mechanism of fuel control switches after conducting precautionary inspections on all its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft. 

The airline shared this information in a statement on July 22, 2025, following initial findings that the switches on flight AI171 were in the “cutoff” position just before the tragic crash occurred in Ahmedabad. 

Air India said it had begun voluntary inspections of the fuel switches on July 14, 2025, and completed them within the time frame set by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline confirmed it has informed the regulator of the completed checks. 

The airline said the inspections also covered Boeing 737 aircraft operated by its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express.  

“Air India remains committed to the safety of passengers and crew members,” the carrier’s statement concluded. 

The preliminary crash investigation report, issued by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India on July 12, 2025, found no prior defects in the aircraft’s engines or fuel control switches. 

However, the checks were initiated after early AAIB findings indicated that both engine fuel control switches on Flight AI171 shifted from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” within seconds after takeoff, resulting in a dual engine shutdown. The AAIB report did not attribute the action to either pilot. 

On July 16, 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that the captain might have turned off the aircraft’s fuel supply in the cockpit shortly after takeoff.  

The WSJ report referenced the Cockpit Voice Recorder that captured a conversation where the first officer questioned the captain about why he had switched the fuel controls to “cutoff.” The captain allegedly replied that he had not done that. While the AAIB also mentioned this dialogue, it did not specify which pilot made the remarks. 

This conversation has reportedly prompted investigators to concentrate on the actions of the pilot, explore why the switches were activated, and if the action was accidental or unintentional. A final report from the AAIB is anticipated within 12 months. The post Air India concludes fuel switch inspections on Boeing jets, finds ‘no issues’ appeared first on AeroTime.

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