Air India says no issues in locking mechanism of fuel control switches in Boeing fleet

NEW DELHI (AP) — Air India said Tuesday that it had completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of fuel control switches for select Boeing aircrafts, with “no issues” found.

The announcement came days after a preliminary investigation into last month’s Air India plane crash stated that the switches shifted and flipped within seconds, starving both engines of fuel.

Air India operates a fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners for long-distance operations, while subsidiary and low-cost unit Air India Express operates the Boeing 737 jets for short-haul flights.

The airline said in a statement that it carried out inspections on its entire fleet of both types of aircraft.

“In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism,” it said.

The investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau into the London-bound plane that crashed in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people, is centered around the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 jetliner. One person survived the crash.

Last week, India’s aviation regulator ordered all airlines operating several Boeing models to examine fuel control switches and submit their findings to the regulator by July 21.

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Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet, and Air India Express operates 75 Boeing 737 jets.