DGCA grounds Air India’s Dreamliner after Dubai-Kohli flight diverted due to cabin pressure loss

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and off-rostered its crew after the Dubai-Kochi flight was diverted to Mumbai due to a loss in cabin pressure and oxygen masks were deployed.

The Dubai-Kochi flight was diverted to Mumbai on Thursday (July 21) after the pilot-in-command reported a loss in cabin pressure, officials of DGCA said, according to a PTI report.

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The DGCA has grounded the Dreamliner aircraft and off-rostered this flight’s crew. It has also started investigating the incident, the officials said.

The officials said that when the Air India flight was heading from Dubai to Kochi on Thursday, the pilot observed a loss in cabin pressure and immediately contacted the integrated operations control centre (IOCC) of the airline as well as the air traffic controller.

An aircraft generally operates at an altitude of around 30,000 feet where the oxygen level is quite less. Therefore, all aircraft create pressure inside the cabin so that there is sufficient oxygen for passengers and crew members.

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There have been multiple technical malfunction incidents in planes flown by Indian carriers in the last one month.

An Air India spokesperson said the matter has been reported to the DGCA.

“Flight AI 934, operating from Dubai to Cochin, was diverted to Mumbai today due to a technical issue. The B787 aircraft landed safely at Mumbai at 1912 hrs with 247 passengers and crew. An alternate aircraft is being arranged to carry passengers from Mumbai to Kochi,” the spokesperson said.

This is the third instance in the last three days when the aviation regulator grounded a plane after an incident.

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On Tuesday, Go First’s Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced engine snags and both the planes were grounded by the DGCA.

There have been multiple technical malfunction incidents in planes flown by Indian carriers in the last one month.

A Go First flight heading from Delhi to Guwahati on Wednesday was diverted to Jaipur after the A320neo aircraft’s windshield cracked mid-air.

On July 17, IndiGo’s Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precautionary measure after pilots observed a defect in one engine.

On the night of July 16, the Calicut-Dubai flight of the Air India Express was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was observed in the cabin mid-air. A live bird was found in the cockpit of the Air India Express Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15.

SpiceJet is also under the scanner. On July 6, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet following at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19.

The DGCA is currently investigating all these incidents.

(With inputs from agencies)