India B788 at London and Bangalore on Feb 1st 2026, flew with defective fuel control switch

Last Update: February 2, 2026 / 18:51:57 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Feb 1, 2026

Classification
Incident

Airline
Air India

Flight number
AI-132

Departure
London Heathrow, United Kingdom

Destination
Bangalore, India

Aircraft Registration
VT-ANX

Aircraft Type
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

ICAO Type Designator
B788

An Air India Boeing 787-8, registration VT-ANX performing flight AI-132 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Bangalore (India), was preparing for departure when the crew started the engines. After moving the fuel control levers to the RUN position (where the levers stayed initially) the crew rechecked the switches by touching them, the left hand lever jumped to the CUTOFF position. Again, the crew moved the lever into the RUN position, and subsequently touched it for recheck and again it jumped into CUTOFF. A third attempt was made, this time the lever remained in the RUN position. The aircraft departed Heathrow with a delay of about 35 minutes and landed in Bangalore without further incident. After landing in Bangalore on Feb 2nd 2026 it was established, that the left fuel control switch moved without any lock.

Air India reported: "We are aware that one of our pilots has reported a possible defect on the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA. Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues. At Air India, the safety of our passengers and crew remains top priority."

The Safety Matters Foundation released a press release stating: "The Foundation notes that this incident comes against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation into the tragic loss of Air India Flight AI171 on 12 June 2025, which also involved a Boeing 787. While no connection is implied, the repeated emergence of issues with a critical flight control system on the same aircraft type demands the highest level of scrutiny."

The foundation stated when asked why the aircraft departed nonetheless: "The issue is, there is no guidance."
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Feb 1, 2026

Classification
Incident

Airline
Air India

Flight number
AI-132

Departure
London Heathrow, United Kingdom

Destination
Bangalore, India

Aircraft Registration
VT-ANX

Aircraft Type
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

ICAO Type Designator
B788

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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