Air India has come under intense scrutiny from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following a reported malfunction in the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft at London’s Heathrow Airport. The incident, which occurred during flight AI132 from Heathrow to Bengaluru on February 1, prompted an urgent safety review after a pilot flagged a potential defect in the switching mechanism.

While the aircraft was grounded in Bengaluru for inspection, India’s aviation watchdog, the DGCA, noted that “standard operating procedures” were seemingly not followed while handling the switch. A key point of the investigation is whether the aircraft should have been grounded at Heathrow itself rather than flying across continents with a potential fuel supply risk. Fuel control issues are critical, as any failure can lead to an abrupt engine shutdown during flight.

In a statement issued on Thursday, an Air India spokesperson clarified that the airline has completed a precautionary inspection of its entire functional Boeing 787 fleet and found “no adverse findings.” The spokesperson added that both Boeing and regulators have cleared the FCS for operation. However, given a similar incident last year where fuel supply was cut off shortly after takeoff, the airline is now re-sensitizing its crew on OEM-recommended operating procedures. Air India maintains that passenger safety remains its highest priority as it prepares to respond to the UK regulator’s queries.