- Air India reported a 14-month high in technical incidents with 23 in January 2025
- Incidents per 1,000 flights rose from 0.26 in December 2024 to 1.09 in January 2025
- Most incidents involved engine oil and fuel leaks and were formally investigated by the airline
Air India flights have been plagued with technical incidents such as engine oil and fuel leaks, with the airline reaching a 14-month high in January, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a company document it accessed.
In January, Air India's technical incidents quadrupled to 1.09 per 1,000 flights from levels of just 0.26 in December 2024, according to the reviewed document submitted to the Indian government in February, the report said. The document did not provide earlier data.
The airline operated more than 17,500 flights in January and recorded 23 technical incidents on its international and domestic flights, according to the document. Of these, at least 21 incidents were investigated formally by the airline.
Ever since the tragic Ahmedabad crash, which claimed 260 lives last year, India's second-largest airline has flown right into the country's safety regulator's radar.
Many safety lapses have been reported by the airline since the crash. In December, Air India admitted that there was a "need for urgent improvements in process discipline, communication, and compliance culture".
"Systemic improvements (are) being introduced across flight ops, training, engineering quality, and procedural oversight to prevent recurrence," Reuters quoted the airline as saying in the document.
Air India also told Reuters that it has undertaken a "comprehensive program to strengthen technical reliability" across its operations and increased its critical spares inventory by over 30% to improve aircraft availability and reduce operational disruptions.
The airline added it has also infused significant amounts as capital investments in engineering infrastructure and tooling to boost its technical operations.
Ahmedabad Crash
In June 2025, Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in the Meghaninagar IGP complex of Ahmedabad city, around five minutes after takeoff.
The crash drew attention to MNC Honeywell after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report mentioned that the fuel switches, manufactured by them, could likely be faulty.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
