Air India's Midair Emergency Sparks New Alarm Over Boeing 787 Dreamliner Safety

Photographer: Derek Pedley - AirTeamImages.com

India’s aviation industry is once again facing scrutiny after a rare midair emergency aboard an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner over the weekend. The incident has prompted India’s leading aviation body to call for an urgent inspection of all Dreamliners operating in the country.

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On Saturday, Air India flight 117, traveling from Amritsar in northern India to Birmingham, England, experienced an unexpected deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT). This small propeller acts as a backup generator. The RAT deploys typically only in the event of total engine power loss, critically low hydraulic pressure, or electrical failure. However, in this case, it engaged without any apparent cause, moments before the aircraft landed safely.

The Federation of Indian Pilots, representing around 6,000 pilots across India, formally requested an investigation into the aircraft’s electrical systems on Sunday evening.

Air India, owned by the Tata Group, confirmed that an initial inspection showed "all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal" and emphasized that the aircraft had landed without further incident.

The event has reopened questions about the safety of Boeing’s flagship long-haul jet. Earlier this year, in June, another Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people — including 19 on the ground — in one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.

A preliminary report into the June crash revealed that the plane’s fuel control switches had been moved to the “cutoff” position just before impact, cutting fuel supply to both engines. This caused a total loss of engine power, triggering the RAT system as intended.

Charanvir Singh Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, expressed concern over the latest event. "It's a serious concern that warrants a detailed inquiry," he said, noting he had never encountered a RAT deployment without engine, hydraulic, or electrical failure.

Randhawa communicated his concerns directly to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, urging a comprehensive inspection of all Boeing 787s operating in the country.