Air India warned for flying Airbus planes without timely escape slides checks: Report

India's aviation regulator has issued warning notices to Air India for operating aircraft with overdue safety checks and for delayed compliance responses, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing official documents.

According to the report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) flagged serious lapses after spot inspections in May revealed that three Airbus aircraft belonging to the Tata Group-owned airline were flown without mandatory inspections of escape slides.

The DGCA found that an inspection on one Airbus A320 was delayed by over a month before being completed on May 15. During this period, the aircraft operated international flights to destinations including Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah, according to AirNav Radar data cited by Reuters.

Another Airbus A319, deployed on domestic routes, was overdue for inspection by more than three months, while checks on a third aircraft were two days late.

“The above cases indicate that aircraft were operated with expired or unverified emergency equipment, which is a violation of standard airworthiness and safety requirements,” Reuters quoted the DGCA report as saying.

The airline reportedly acknowledged that one of the incidents came to light when an engineer from AI Engineering Services “inadvertently deployed an escape slide during maintenance”.

On June 13, a day after the B787-8 crash that killed 241 people on board, the DGCA ordered enhanced surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, comprising 26 787-8s and seven 787-9s.

Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Thursday said that the crashed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was "well-maintained" and had undergone a major check in June 2023 with the next scheduled for December this year.

"The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," he said.

Campbell said that following the June 12 crash and as directed by the DGCA, the airline has been conducting thorough safety inspections on its 33 Boeing 787 aircraft.

So far, inspections have been completed on 26 aircraft and these have been cleared for service, he said and added that the remaining aircraft are currently in planned maintenance and will have these additional checks done before being released into service.

"Following the review, the DGCA has confirmed that Air India Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards," he said.