The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Air India, fell crashed on June 12, raising concerns about the safety of the aircraft. The FAA is investigating the incident and has not yet decided to ground the Dreamliner.
Boeing is under scrutiny again after the tragic Air India crashed on June 12 with the Boeing 787's Dreamliner. The flight departed shortly after takeoff on the way from Ahmedabad to London, claiming at least 270 lives. A few days after the fatal crash, another Air India flight returned to the route from Hong Kong to New Delhi due to technical issues, which was also a 787 Dreamliner.
Currently, travelers are asking questions about whether it is safe to fly on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plane. (According to the Aviation Analytics Firm Cirium, 1,148 Boeing 787s offer services worldwide.)
There is an investigation into the causes of the Air India disaster, but an official decision has not been published yet. Due to pending investigations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently not planning to ground the US fleet of the Boeing 787. According to Simple Flying, the FAA does not have enough data to make that drastic decision.
At the time of publication, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Airindia plane's emergency power generator was active when it crashed last week.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said more information is needed before a decision is made. “They need to get on the ground and see,” Duffy told Reuters. “But it's still too early today. People are watching the video and trying to assess what happened.
This means that as the investigation continues, the FAA may be able to decide to ground the US 787. Also, nationwide grounding causes massive service disruption, as two major US airlines (United and American Airlines) rely on aircraft. United is one of the world's largest dreamliners. In 2023, the carrier ordered 50 more planes, already using 78 Dreamliners.
This is not the first time the aviation giant has faced serious questions. Over the past five years, Boeing has been linked to a series of high-profile incidents, including two fatal crashes, including the largest 737 planes in Indonesia (2018) and Ethiopia (2019). Recently, there was a non-fatal incident in 2024, when a door or another jet suddenly fell to altitude from a Boeing plane.
Despite ongoing investigations, it is clear that there are still safety concerns. Air India has cancelled five flights 787 since the crash on Thursday. Air India says that despite safety checks on the plane, there is a need for an increase in safety measures.
You can check the latest information on FAA decisions regarding Dreamliners on FAA.gov.
