UK Aviation Regulator Backs Boeing, Says 'Don't Have Any Technical Concern'

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has stated that it does not see any technical issues with Boeing aircraft, even as investigations into the fatal crash of Air India flight AI171 continue to focus on possible faults in the aircraft’s fuel control system.

Responding to NDTV Profit, the UK regulator clarified that it has "no technical concerns" regarding Boeing’s products, and "does not require any action from the UK operators".

The clarification came after a 2015 document from UK CAA surfaced, which showed that the regulator had warned about a potential fuel system flaw in Boeing aircraft. Since the contact email address in the safety notice was updated on May 15, 2025, it was republished and appeared as if the document was freshly issued a month before the fatal air crash in Ahmedabad.

"Due to the update to the contact email address, our website published the document as if it was a new document," the CAA said in the clarification note. "To clarify, the safety notice was issued in 2015," it added.

The 2015 directive by the UK regulator was to operators of five Boeing aircraft variants—including the 787 Dreamliner—urging them to review and address a US Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Directive. The FAA directive had flagged fuel shutoff valve actuators, critical to preventing fuel leaks and engine shutdowns, as a potential safety concern.

Last week, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India noted in its preliminary report on the Air India crash that fuel control switches, which manage the flow of fuel to each engine, unexpectedly moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' seconds after liftoff, causing both engines to shut down. The report raised questions about the reliability of the switch mechanism and the adequacy of pre-flight inspections.

The AAIB report referred to a 2018 FAA advisory, which recommended operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches to ensure it could not be moved accidentally. Air India did not inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel cutoff switches, despite the FAA advisory recommending such checks. The Tata Group airline defended its decision, stating that the advisory was not mandatory, and therefore it chose not to carry out the inspections.

The FAA, in a notification issued on July 11, maintained that the fuel control switch design does not pose any safety risks, and Boeing echoed that view. However, the UK CAA’s directive in May mandated urgent operator-level action, with checks required and compliance to be documented.

India's aviation safety regulator, DGCA, on Monday directed airlines operating Boeing 737s and 787 Dreamliners to inspect fuel control switch locking mechanisms by July 21. This directive aligns with similar actions by regulators in South Korea and the UAE, prompted by a 2018 FAA bulletin.

Major foreign airlines, including Etihad and Singapore Airlines, have begun checking the fuel control switch locking mechanisms on their Boeing 787 fleets. An Air India official also said the airline started the checks on Saturday and completed them on half of its 33 Dreamliners so far and didn't find any defects.