Air India Crash: Are Boeing’s fuel switches to blame? Here's why airlines across globe are reviewing fuel systems

(FILES) The tail of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.

Just days after a preliminary crash report into Air India Flight AI-171 pointed to a critical failure involving the aircraft’s fuel control switches, aviation regulators and airlines across the globe are rushing to inspect similar mechanisms on Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft.

India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on July 14 ordered all Indian carriers operating these Boeing models to check the locking mechanisms on fuel switches by July 21. The move comes in the wake of the deadly crash in Ahmedabad last month that claimed the lives of 241 passengers, raising fresh concerns over aircraft safety standards and regulatory oversight.

Only two Indian carriers – Air India and IndiGo – currently operate the affected aircraft. According to an NDTV report, Air India has already checked around 50% of its Boeing fleet and, so far, has not found any malfunction in the locking mechanism of the fuel switches.

Other global airlines join in

Airlines and aviation authorities in several countries have also begun inspections following the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Etihad Airways and airline operators in South Korea have started inspections of the fuel switch locking systems.

Korean Air Lines on Tuesday confirmed it had begun inspections and would comply with any additional requirements laid down by the country’s transport ministry.

Singapore Airlines has initiated a similar inspection process.

According to Bloomberg, Oman Air has completed checks, while Saudia (Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier) is also in the process of checking its jets.

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What triggered these checks?

The immediate cause of concern stems from the AAIB’s preliminary report, released on Saturday (July 12). The report found that both of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches on AI-171 moved to the “cutoff” position, leading to fuel starvation and engine shutdown shortly after takeoff.

Critically, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured a chilling exchange between the pilots in the final moments of the flight: One pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, to which the second replied that he had not, the report revealed.

The report did not clarify how or why the switches moved from “run” to “cutoff”, but the event has brought attention to the design and integrity of the fuel control mechanism itself.

What are fuel control switches and why do they matter?

Fuel control switches are located on the main cockpit control panel. They are used to start or shut down the aircraft’s engines, typically only during ground operations.

These switches are spring-loaded and require deliberate action to change position. To prevent accidental movement, the pilot must first lift the switch before toggling between “run” and “cutoff”.

That’s why the findings from the CVR, and the unexplained movement of both switches, have prompted global concern. If the locking feature failed mid-flight, it raises serious questions about equipment reliability and safety protocols.

FAA had flagged issue in 2018, but called it advisory

What’s more startling is that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had already flagged a potential issue with the fuel control switches as far back as 2018.

In Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin NM-18-33, the FAA wrote: “Inspect the locking feature of the fuel control switch to ensure its engagement. While the airplane is on the ground, check whether the fuel control switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting up the switch. If the switch can be moved without lifting it up, the locking feature has been disengaged and the switch should be replaced at the earliest opportunity.”

However, the FAA had not deemed this an “unsafe condition” at the time. The AAIB also noted that “the airworthiness concern was not considered an unsafe condition” and that Air India did not carry out inspections, since the SAIB was advisory, not mandatory.

Additionally, the AAIB report clarified that while the throttle control module on the ill-fated aircraft (registration VT-ANB) was replaced in 2019 and 2023, “there has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB.”

UK aviation regulator had also raised concerns in 2024

It’s not just the FAA. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also issued a warning on May 15, 2024, regarding a related fuel system flaw on Boeing aircraft. This time, the CAA listed five Boeing aircraft types — 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787 — and ordered operators to review a US FAA airworthiness directive that flagged potential problems with fuel shutoff valve actuators.

The UK directive made it mandatory for airlines to test, inspect, or replace fuel shutoff valve actuators on affected planes and implement daily checks to prevent possible fuel leaks and engine failures.

Why airlines are not waiting for the FAA this time

The current wave of independent checks by global carriers, even before a formal FAA directive, mirrors what happened in 2019, when many regulators grounded the Boeing 737 MAX after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, well ahead of the FAA.

That precedent seems to be shaping the response this time too. With AI-171’s fuel switch malfunction now under global scrutiny, regulators and airlines are choosing caution, regardless of whether FAA or Boeing label it an official airworthiness threat.