Air India has dismissed claims that 11 of its 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft are grounded, calling such reports "factually inaccurate."
In a post on X, the airline said three Boeing 787-8 aircraft are currently undergoing cabin retrofits as part of its fleet modernisation programme, while four are in scheduled heavy maintenance checks. One aircraft is undergoing routine line maintenance, another is scheduled to return to India, and two are currently in service.
"Planned maintenance or upgrades are not the same as 'grounded aircraft'," Air India said, urging people to rely only on its official communication channels for accurate information.
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The clarification from Air India came after claims on X suggested that multiple Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners were grounded in Europe.
Independent journalist Manisha Singhal, who covers aviation, said in a series of posts that Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft were aircraft-on-ground (AOG) at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. She also said the repeated grounding of the aircraft type was unlikely to inspire passenger confidence.
Another X user, AviationAll, claimed that three Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners—VT-ANU in Amsterdam, VT-ANP in London Gatwick and VT-ANG in London Heathrow—were grounded, adding that the reasons for all three aircraft were unknown.
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Air India, however, said reports claiming that 11 of its 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft were grounded were "factually inaccurate", adding that aircraft undergoing scheduled maintenance, cabin retrofits or routine operational checks should not be classified as grounded.
Air India Ltd. announced on Thursday that it will be reducing fuel surcharge on select international routes. The routes included in North America and Australia has its surcharge reduced to $200 from $280. Similarly European routes also saw its fuel surcharge decrease to $125 from $205.
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