India orders inspection of Boeing 787s after Air India crash

India’s aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected after an Air India crash killed 270 people this week, the aviation minister said on Saturday, adding the authorities were investigating all possible causes.

The aviation regulator on Friday ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuel-related checks.

“We have also given the order to do the extended surveillance of the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian fleet,” aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told a media briefing in New Delhi.

“Eight have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done.”

He did not say whether government officials will be involved in the inspections.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Britain’s Gatwick Airport began losing height seconds after take-off on Thursday and erupted in a fireball as it hit buildings below, in what has been the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.

Air India operates 33 Boeing 787s, while rival airline IndiGo has one, according to data from Flightradar24.

IndiGo did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Air India said it is currently completing the one-time safety checks directed by the Indian regulator, adding that “some of these checks could lead to higher turnaround time and potential delays on certain long-haul routes.”

The planes, however, have not been grounded, but a source on Friday told Reuters the Indian government was considering that as an option.

Naidu also said the government will look at all possible theories of what led to the crash.

Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down, Reuters has reported.