Overview
- India’s aviation regulator issued notices covering Delhi–Tokyo flights AI-357 and AI-358 operated by Boeing 787 VT-ANI.
- DGCA alleges dispatch with incompatible Minimum Equipment List items and cites non-compliance with MEL ‘O’ conditions for the lower right recirculation fan on June 28, 2025.
- The notice details AI-358 advisories for “PACK ACM L” and “Pack Mode,” along with a reported smell of smoke near the R2 door.
- Repetitive snags on the same systems were logged across five previous sectors, which DGCA says the crew knew before accepting the aircraft.
- Air India and the named pilots must respond within 14 days or risk ex parte decisions under Aircraft Rules and CAR, as the action proceeds alongside the ongoing AI171 crash investigation and renewed criticism of the airline’s safety culture.