Air India crash: SIA has completed checks on its Boeing 787 fuel switches as a precaution
SINGAPORE - National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot have completed checks on the fuel switches on their Boeing 787 aircraft as a precautionary measure, in the wake of
the Air India crash in June that killed 260 people.
This comes a few days after a preliminary investigation report on the crash of Flight AI171 said that the fuel control switches of the B787-8 Dreamliner were moved to the 'cut-off' position within three seconds of take-off, causing both engines to shut down.
SIA has 26 B787 jets in its fleet, while Scoot has 23.
'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority,' an SIA Group spokeswoman told The Straits Times on July 15.
The report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) did not say how or why the fuel switches were moved. But it flagged a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that recommended, but did not mandate, the inspection of the locking feature of the fuel switches of several Boeing models to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.
The locking mechanism requires flight crew to lift the fuel switch before they can be moved to a different position.
Since the release of the AAIB report on July 11, other airlines around the world have also begun conduct inspections on these switches.
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This was despite Boeing and the FAA privately issuing notifications to airlines and regulators that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes were safe and checks were not required, according to a Reuters report.
Over the July 12 weekend, Air India Group started inspecting the locking mechanism on the fuel switches of its Boeing 787 and 737 fleets. No problems have been found yet.
India's civil aviation authority on July 14 also ordered airlines that operate specific Boeing aircraft to carry out inspections on the fuel switch locking feature by July 21, said local media.
South Korea's transport ministry was said to be preparing to order all of its airlines to do the same.
Etihad Airways has ordered an inspection of the fuel switch locking mechanism on their Boeing jets too.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier also directed its crew to 'exercise caution' while operating the fuel switches on Boeing 787 aircraft.
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