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Key Points

Air India fired two senior flight attendants for allegedly falsifying details about a Boeing 787 door malfunction during an investigation. The airline stated the emergency slide deployed because the door was in armed mode, not manual as claimed. The terminated crew had multiple opportunities to correct their statements but persisted. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry cautioned against speculation regarding the unrelated AI171 crash investigation.

Key Points: Air India Fires Crew Over Boeing 787 Door Incident False Claims

  • Air India terminated crew for falsifying Boeing 787 door probe details
  • Emergency slide deployed due to door being in armed mode
  • Ministry urges no speculation on AI171 crash investigation
  • Crew given multiple chances to correct statements
2 min read

Cabin crew members terminated for 'falsifying critical information' during probe: Air India

Air India terminates two flight attendants for falsifying Boeing 787 Dreamliner door malfunction details during probe, citing misconduct.

"It is regrettable that the former cabin crew members are using the tragedy of AI171 to further repeat their falsehood – Air India"

New Delhi, June 20

After a report claimed that two senior Air India flight attendants were sacked as they refused to change their statement on a technical glitch in the door of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner last year, the airline on Friday said the said cabin crew members were terminated for their “misconduct and behaviour and continuing to falsify critical information during the course of an investigation”.

“The said investigation was launched after an emergency slide was activated while opening the aircraft door post landing,” said Air India in a statement to IANS.

According to the media report, the two former Air India flight attendants alleged that that the door of the Boeing Dreamliner had malfunctioned as the slide raft deployed, despite the door being opened in the "manual mode".

Slide rafts deploy when a door is opened in "armed" or "automatic mode", according to the report.

The incident is reported to have occurred on May 14 last year, after the Mumbai-London flight AI-129 docked at Heathrow airport and the passengers disembarked.

Air India, in its statement, said two former employees were given multiple fair opportunities to reconsider their statements, which may have been given inadvertently, as revealed in the investigations undertaken.

“It was clear in the investigation that the slide could not have been activated unless the door was in armed mode. This was corroborated by relevant data, images and video evidence and as well as third party experts,” according to the airline statement.

It further stated that “it is regrettable that the former cabin crew members are using the tragedy of AI171 to further repeat their falsehood which has been clearly established in our investigation”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has clarified that no decision has been taken as yet on sending abroad the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) of the crashed AI171 flight for retrieval and analysis.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation urged all stakeholders "to refrain from speculation on such sensitive matters and to allow the investigative process to proceed with the seriousness and professionalism it warrants".

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
This is concerning! Air India needs to be more transparent about such incidents. If cabin crew raised safety concerns, they shouldn't be punished. Our aviation safety standards must match global benchmarks. 🇮🇳✈️
P
Priya M.
As someone who flies frequently, I appreciate Air India taking safety seriously. But terminating experienced staff without proper dialogue seems harsh. Maybe a suspension would have been better while investigating properly?
A
Arjun S.
Boeing has had enough issues globally. If our crew noticed something wrong with the Dreamliner, management should listen carefully. "Falsifying information" is a serious charge - hope there's solid proof.
S
Sunita R.
Both sides need to be heard properly. Air India is now under Tata management, so we expect better HR practices. At the same time, crew members must follow protocols. Safety can't be compromised either way.
V
Vikram J.
The timing is suspicious - right after the AI171 crash investigation. If there was indeed door malfunction last year, DGCA should independently verify. We can't have another Mangalore-type tragedy due to ignored warnings.

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