New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said its enhanced surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet has not revealed any significant safety concerns, in the wake of the fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad last week.

The assurance comes even as more than 66 Air India flights scheduled to operate with the Dreamliner aircraft were cancelled between June 12 and June 17, causing disruptions for hundreds of passengers. During this period, the airline operated 248 Dreamliner flights.

In a detailed review meeting with top executives from Air India and Air India Express, the aviation regulator flagged recent maintenance-related lapses but noted that 24 of the airline’s 33 Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft had cleared safety checks as of 3 pm on June 17. Inspections on three more aircraft are scheduled by Wednesday, while six remain pending — two grounded in Delhi awaiting service clearance, and four undergoing major checks at MRO facilities.

“No major safety concerns were detected during the inspections. The aircraft and related maintenance systems are in compliance with existing safety standards,” the DGCA said in a statement.

However, the watchdog directed the Tata Group-owned carrier to improve coordination between its engineering, operations, and ground handling teams, ensure sufficient spare parts are stocked to minimise flight delays, and strictly follow all regulatory requirements.

The DGCA also recommended implementing a real-time defect reporting system to enable quicker issue resolution and minimise operational disruptions.

Separately, the regulator reviewed the operational impact of Iran’s airspace closure on Indian airlines, which has led to multiple flight diversions, delays, and cancellations for services to Europe and Gulf countries.

Operators have been instructed to communicate delays and cancellations to passengers promptly and to explore alternative routing options to reduce inconvenience.

“Airlines must prioritise the timely dissemination of information to passengers via all available channels,” the DGCA emphasised.

Air India and Air India Express collectively operate over 1,000 flights daily.

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