Airliner in Air India crash was plagued by issues since 2011

[Telegraph] – The Air India disaster in which a plane crashed moments after take-off in Ahmedabad is the first time that a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has been involved in a fatal accident.

However, the aircraft has been beset by problems since entering service in 2011.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has investigated a number of concerns over the past decade, including faulty batteries and a flight that experienced a sudden drop in altitude.

Here’s everything we know about the aircraft, with a close look at its safety record over the years.

How many Dreamliners have crashed?

The Air India incident on June 12 2025 – involving an 11-year-old aircraft – is the first time the 787 Dreamliner has crashed.

When did it first come into service?

On October 26 2011, the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) was the first to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on a commercial service. This was four years after Boeing’s original planned launch date, coming in millions of dollars over budget.

Since that first flight, the Dreamliner fleet has carried more than one billion passengers across almost 5 million flights.

What have been the Dreamliner’s most serious incidents?

In the early years after entering commercial service, the 787 faced a series of technical problems, including concerns around the safety of lithium-ion batteries.

In early 2013, carriers including Japan Airlines and United Airlines reported issues with the wiring near the main batteries in some of their Dreamliners. That summer, a fire broke out on an empty Ethiopian Airlines plane at Heathrow due to crossed wires located under a battery.

Norwegian Air also suffered a serious fuel leak due to a faulty valve on a 787, one of a number of problems experienced on the fleet. The airline’s vice president later said: “We’re not satisfied with where the airplane is today, flying at a fleet average of 98 percent… The 777 today flies at 99.4 percent […] and that’s the benchmark that the 787 needs to attain.”

There have also been concerns around the 787 Dreamliner’s performance in certain weather conditions.

In November 2013, Boeing issued an advisory for airlines flying the Dreamliner with a General Electric GEnx engine to avoid flying near thunderstorms because there was an increased risk of ice crystals building up on the engines.

In March 2024, a LATAM Airlines flight experienced a sudden drop of 300ft of altitude within a few seconds. The plane landed at Auckland as planned, where 50 passengers were treated for injuries and twelve were taken to hospital. A preliminary report suggested the drop was due to the captain’s seat involuntarily moving forward, rather than being caused by turbulence or poor weather conditions.

Which airlines operate the 787?

There are more than 1,100 Dreamliners in service worldwide. More than 50 airlines fly the Boeing 787. This includes many flag carriers such as British Airways, Air France, Emirates and American Airlines.

British Airways flies all three variants of the Dreamliner (the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10). It first added the Dreamliner to its fleet in 2013.

How is the 787 Dreamliner different from other aircraft?

British Airways describes it as “one of the most technologically advanced aircraft” in its fleet. It has the largest windows of any commercial airliner. Instead of blinds, windows have dimmer switches. Within the cabin, a mood-lighting system creates the impression of daylight and nighttime to help passengers adjust to different time zones.

The 787 is said to be one of the more environmentally efficient planes. It can fly for 10,000 miles without needing to refuel, and uses 20 per cent less fuel than similarly sized aircraft. Due to its fuel efficiency, the Dreamliner is favoured for long-haul flights.

What other issues has Boeing faced?

In 2018 and 2019, there were two major crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max in which 346 people died. The accidents, involving a Lion Air Flight in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight, were linked to problems with the automatic stabilisation system, which the crew were unable to successfully override.

There have been other issues with the 737 Max in recent years. In January 2024, a door plug ejected from an Alaska Airlines flight, causing decompression in the cabin. The subsequent FAA investigation found instances of manufacturing lapses.

Boeing is also suffering lengthy delivery delays, in part due to more rigorous regulatory scrutiny after the cabin panel blowout, as well as supply chain disruptions.

Is Air India safe?

Air India has had a number of fatal accidents over the years. In August 2020, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Dubai to Calicut overshot the runway, killing 18 passengers. In May 2010, a 737-800 from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway, killing 158 passengers on board.

Back in June 1982, an Air India plane crashed in Mumbai due to poor weather conditions, killing two crew members and 15 passengers. The year before, an Air India Flight from Zimbabwe to Mumbai was hijacked at Mahe Airport in the Seychelles. All 78 passengers were released.

The first Air India incident was in 1978, when a plane crashed off the coast of Mumbai after the captain became disorientated. All 213 on board died.