Serious questions over the reliability of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft

The American aircraft manufacturer's Boeing 787 Dreamliner model was considered the safest. However, the accident that occurred in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday, which killed 241 people, has raised serious questions about its reliability.

This is the first accident of this model of aircraft, which entered service in 2011, according to The Guardian.

The cause of the Air India plane crash has not been determined, but airlines from various countries that use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner have previously pointed to serious problems with its engines. Due to which many planes were grounded and flights had to be reduced.

The US aviation safety agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), had also investigated questions raised about the flight capabilities of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in recent years. In 2023, a LATAM Airlines flight was found to have a 'mid-air dive', i.e. a problem with not gaining altitude.

Last year, a former engineer at a hearing in Washington called for all Dreamliners around the world to be grounded. However, Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, denied the claims and said it had full confidence in the Dreamliner.

Currently, more than 1,100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners are in service worldwide. This model of aircraft is used mostly on international flights. Compared to older aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was praised for being more fuel-efficient, quieter and safer. Other models of the American company Boeing have a history of accidents.

Currently, Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group, operates 34 Boeing Dreamliners. According to the Guardian, Air India has signed an agreement with the American company Boeing to purchase 20 more of the same model. Boeing's other model, the 737 Max, crashed in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, killing 346 people. The 737 Max was grounded for nearly a year after those crashes.

Just last month, Boeing reached a $1.1 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to drop charges related to the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The agreement between Boeing and the U.S. Department of Justice was described by lawyers representing the families of the crash victims as "morally repugnant."

Only one of the 10 crew members on board a Boeing 787 plane that crashed in India on Thursday shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad for London is believed to be alive. The last Air India plane to crash was in August 2020.

The investigation will proceed based on the search and analysis of the crashed plane's 'black box' (which records the voices of the crew members and flight data in the cockpit during the final moments of the flight).