NEW DELHI: Another technical problem with one of the Dreamliner planes caused Air India's Boeing 787 (VT-ANC) flying from Vienna to Delhi to divert to Dubai due to a technical problem on Thursday night. The same aircraft then took off for Delhi after the autopilot was reset and landed at IGI Airport around noon on Friday. Although AI maintains there were no safety issues with the plane, this was the second incident on the Dreamliner in less than a week. Last Saturday (October 4), the AI Dreamliner's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed on its final approach to Birmingham. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Friday asked the aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to “ground all B787s in view of ongoing electrical issues” and also “order a special audit of the maintenance of AI aircraft”.AI claims that its Boeing 787 aircraft were found to be completely safe to fly after each aircraft was thoroughly inspected after the crash of AI Flight 171.An AI spokesperson said the Vienna-Delhi flight was diverted due to technical issues. “The aircraft landed safely in Dubai and underwent the necessary inspections. All passengers were informed of the delay, refreshments were provided and the flight operated by the same aircraft departed Dubai at 8:45 am (IST) and landed in Delhi at 12:19 pm (IST). The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority at Air India… There were (no) electrical failures on the aircraft.”” DGCA is investigating the RAT deployment last Saturday. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the June 12 crash of AI Dreamliner AI171.FIP said in an email to the government on Friday: “Since June 16, we have reiterated that all B-787s in the country must have their electrical systems thoroughly inspected. On 4 October, the RAT was deployed to AI-117 during its approach to Birmingham. On October 9, AI Flight 154 from Vienna to Delhi diverted to Dubai, but encountered a major technical problem when the autopilot system suddenly malfunctioned, causing a series of technical failures. The aircraft experienced failures across critical systems, including degradation of the autopilot, instrument landing system, and flight control systems that do not have automatic landing capabilities.”“Due to an electrical failure, the pilot was unable to engage the autopilot, forcing him to fly manually during the night and divert to Dubai. In addition, the degraded flight control system did not allow FD to be available. The aircraft landed safely in Dubai. We commend the pilot's skill in safely flying the aircraft to Dubai at night with limited automation/systems. Two electrical failures occurred within a short period of time, an indicator of poor maintainability due to AI,” FIP added.Commenting on last Saturday's RAT deployment, Air India said: “On October 4, 2025, the flight crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham detected the aircraft's RAT deployment during final approach. The crew ensured that all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport. There was no loss of power or control systems at any point during the flight.” The aircraft was then grounded for further inspection. Based on the conclusions of our preliminary study, the introduction of the RAT was not due to system failure or pilot behavior. ”“As reported by Boeing, the deployment of the RAT was 'unordered' and is consistent with similar incidents with other airlines in the past. Air India informed India's aviation regulator, DGCA, about the incident and submitted a preliminary report to the regulator as per prescribed guidelines. The aircraft was subsequently cleared to operate and was flown from Birmingham to Delhi on October 5.” “At Air India, the safety of all our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” the AI statement added.
