NEW DELHI, Oct 10: The Federation of Indian Pilots, a body representing airline pilots, has demanded the 'grounding of all Boeing 787 planes' based on reports of malfunctioning electronics on two Air India flights - AI-154, a Vienna-Delhi service diverted to Dubai on October 9 after failures across multiple systems, including autopilot and flight control, and RAT deployment on AI-117 while landing in Birmingham on October 4.

The pilots claimed the incidents were 'indicators of poor serviceability by Air India' and seemed to blame them on newly-hired engineers replacing those from government-owned AIESEL.

Air India, however, has categorically denied any talk of an electrical failure in the latter and said deployment of the RAT in the former was 'neither due to a system fault nor pilot action'.

A spokesperson said AI-154 was re-routed due to a technical issue and the plane landed safely at Dubai. Passengers were kept informed of delays, provided refreshments, and completed their journey - on the same aircraft - reaching Delhi with no further incident Friday morning.

"At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority," the spokesperson said.

On the AI-117 incident, the airline said the plane landed safely despite the RAT deploying on final approach. The spokesperson said 'all electrical and hydraulic parameters to be normal'.

"Based on our preliminary investigation, deployment of the RAT was 'un-commanded', consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past and as reported by Boeing."

The airline said it had notified the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and submitted a preliminary report in accordance with rules. The aircraft has since been cleared for service.

The response followed a letter from the Federation of Indian Pilots that referred to the June 12 AI-171 crash that killed 260 people - passengers, crew, and people on the ground.

"The safety of air travel is being compromised by not investigating the causes of failures on B-787's in the country," the pilots said in a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu.

AI-171 was a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad; it failed to generate thrust and nosedived into a nearby residential area.

PM Inaugurates Navi Mumbai Airport

MUMBAI, Oct 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state-of-the-art Navi Mumbai International Airport this afternoon. The airport is expected to boost trade and tourism for Mumbai, Pune and the Konkan area.

Modi was given a walkthrough of the airport before he inaugurated it. Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani were present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said the inauguration of the airport has ended Mumbai's long wait. He also said the Viksit Bharat vision envisages 'gati aur pragati' (speed and progress).

India had only 74 airports in 2014, but now it has 160, the Prime Minister said. "Due to UDAN Yojana, lakhs of people have taken to the skies for the first time in the past decade, fulfilling their dreams," he added.

Built for Rs 19,650 crore, the airport is initially expected to handle 2 crore passengers a year. It will not only facilitate seamless travel but also provide direct access to global markets for industries in Pune.

The airport is built under a Public-Private Partnership between Mumbai International Airport Ltd (a subsidiary of Adani Airports Holdings Ltd), and CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd).

Ahead of the inauguration, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani praised the collective efforts behind the project. Responding to a post on X by Jeet Adani, Director of Airports at the Adani Group and his youngest son, Gautam Adani wrote, "To every hand that worked and every heart that cared, this is your creation".

The country's largest Greenfield airport project with a 3,700-metre runway, it would work with Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region would ease congestion and elevate Mumbai into the league of cities with multi-airport systems like London, Tokyo and New York.

Airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India Express have already announced plans to begin operations at the new airport, with initial flights connecting various domestic cities. Once completed, the airport will serve 90 million passengers and manage over 3.2 million metric tonnes of cargo a year.

Airbus A320 Shoots Past Boeing 737 To Become Most-Delivered Jet Plane Ever

TOULOUSE, Oct 8: Europe's Airbus just crossed a major aviation milestone. Its A320 family has officially overtaken Boeing 737 to become the most-delivered jetliner in history.

The record broke this week when Airbus handed over a jet to the Saudi airline Flynas. With that, the total A320 deliveries reached 12,260 since the model first entered service in 1988, according to UK-based consultancy Cirium.

Airbus did not immediately issue a comment on the data, which was tracked by aircraft supply analyst Rob Morris.

Together, Airbus and Boeing have delivered over 25,000 single-aisle jets so far. These aircraft were first meant for connecting passengers to big hubs, but later became the backbone of low-cost carriers.

Interestingly, Airbus found its biggest growth when Boeing reduced output after the post-9/11 travel slump. That strategic moment helped Airbus reach where it stands today – already the world's largest plane maker by annual deliveries. This new record is just another high point in a four-decade-long transatlantic rivalry.

Emergency RAT Deploys On AI Dreamliner On Way To Birmingham While Both Engines Normal; Scare Revives AI 171 Crash Ghosts

BIRMINGHAM, Oct 5: The mid-air scare on the Amritsar-to-Birmingham Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, which deployed its emergency turbine, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), before landing, has brought back haunting memories of the fatal crash in Ahmedabad that killed 274 people months ago.

Same model, same airline, and RAT deployed just after take-off or before landing point to eerie similarities.

The RAT is usually deployed by the aircraft to provide emergency electrical and hydraulic power in case of a double-engine failure.

In Saturday's incident, all electrical and hydraulic parameters were found to be normal, and the aircraft made a safe landing at Birmingham. Although no engine failure was detected, how and why the RAT was deployed remains unclear.

For now, the aircraft has been grounded for further checks, and passengers have been reported safe.

Considered the aircraft’s last lifeline, the fan-like device drops naturally from the underside of the plane when both engines fail, as was seen seconds before the fated AI 171 crash in June.

In a viral video of the crash, shot from a nearby rooftop, aviation experts citing audio and visual evidence indicated that the RAT was deployed shortly after takeoff.

Former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner pointed out a distinct "high-pitched squeal," which he said was made by a RAT just before the crash. "It sounds like a high-pitched prop, like a Cessna going by."

"It's (RAT) not designed for an aeroplane that's at 400 or 500 feet and loses all power – there's no time to get the engines restarted; there's no benefit to them," he added. Notably, the AI 171 was at 625 feet before it went crashing down.

The interim probe report, which found that a fuel supply cutoff led to engine shutdowns and triggered the emergency mechanism, lent further credence to the experts' assessment.

Within seconds of takeoff, both engine fuel control switches were moved from “RUN” (fuel flowing) to “CUTOFF" (fuel stopped), one after the other, with only a one-second gap.