DELHI
Air India Ltd will not immediately cancel or curtail its order of 27 Dreamliner 787 aircraft made by Boeing Co. , but will closely monitor developments after an Ethiopian Airlines 787 plane caught fire at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday.
There are no plans to roll back the expansion “at the moment”, Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan said. “We are following all precautions,” he added. The firm has started commercial flights with seven Dreamliners and seven more are expected to join its fleet this fiscal year.
Boeing’s latest jet has been dogged by controversy since commercial flights started in October 2011. The entire global fleet was grounded in January after batteries in some of the aircraft caught fire. Boeing in April said it had identified and rectified the problem.
India’s aviation regulator has asked Air India to remain vigilant in the matter. The Heathrow fire was not due to a battery malfunction, said Arun Mishra, director general of civil aviation, adding that he can take any action only after an investigation report is made available.
Full report here Mint
