DGCA notice to Air India pilot for accepting snag-prone Dreamliner for Japan flight

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Air India for operating a Boeing 787 between Japan and India in June 2025, despite snags. One flight — Tokyo (Haneda) to Delhi — had to be diverted to Kolkata due to the cabin getting uncomfortably hot at the end of June.The regulator’s show cause issued on Dec 29, 2025, says: “…during operation of Al 358 (and related operations of AI 357), serious safety concerns arose pertaining to aircraft dispatch, minimum equipment list (MEL) compliance, and flight crew decision-making.” On a Delhi-Tokyo flight smell of smoke was observed. “..repetitive snags related to the same systems had been recorded on five previous sectors, indicating a known history of system degradation. Whereas, the aircraft VT-ANI was dispatched with incompatible MEL items in contravention of (rules), despite the above, the pilots of flights Al-358 and Al-357, including yourself, accepted the aircraft for operation with prior knowledge of repeated snags and existing system degradations,” says the notice issued to a pilot.AI 358 is the Delhi-Tokyo flight and 357 is the return flight. “On June 28, 2025, there was non-compliance with (rules)… the operating crew failed to adequately assess the combined operational and safety impact of multiple inoperative systems.. you are directed to show cause within 14 days of receipt of this notice as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated against you,” the notice says.While AI did not comment on this notice, sources say the matter pertained to last June and the issue was resolved then.