"Boeing 787 Dreamliner and its history of failures | Explained", 14 June 2025

Over 200 people have died as an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft crashed minutes after departing from Ahmedabad airport.

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Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft (AI 171) which took off from Ahmedabad to London on Thursday (June 12, 2025), crashed minutes after taking off in the outside perimeter of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, stated the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Carrying 242 people on board, the pilots gave a ‘May day’ call to the air traffic control (ATC) before going non-responsive and crashing into a medical college in Meghaninagar area. Over 200 bodies have been recovered and rescue operations are under way. ..Snags in the Boeing 787 aircraft have been reported several times in the last few months across the world. Five incidents of issues with engines, gears, flaps, loss of cabin pressure and altitude were reported in Boeing 787 aircraft this year, according to AeroInside. Air India itself has faced issues with this aircraft for over a decade, the most recent on December 13, 2024. While travelling from New Delhi to Birmingham, flight AI-113 reported a hydraulic leak in the nose gear during its final approach to Birmingham’s runway 15. On landing, the aircraft was towed away and grounded for 28 hours.

..In India, Boeing had advised Air India to avoid flying Dreamliner near high-level thunderstorms, citing an increased risk of icing on the engines which led to the withdrawal of the aircraft on the Delhi-Tokyo route. ..an Air India Delhi-Kolkata 787 aircraft returned to Delhi after its windshield suffered a crack, and two other 787 planes were grounded as their GE engines belonged to the same series which the FAA were examining. ..Within 14 months since its launch, Air India’s Dreamliner fleet faced 136 minor glitches. ..Between 2015 and 2024, Air India’s 787 flights reported 32 incidents involving engine shutdowns, flight control glitches, non-retraction of gear, smoke inside cabin, loss of communication, cracked windshield, cabin pressure issues, heavy turbulence, altitude drop, slat malfunction, tyre burst, hydraulic leaks.