The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, much touted for its advanced design and improved fuel efficiency, has, however, been the center of several safety issues in the past.
On Thursday, one of these—Air India's Flight AI171—crashed minutes after departure from Ahmedabad for Gatwick Airport in London.
The plane had 242 on board, 10 of them being crew members, when the accident occurred.
Though the Dreamliner is a favorite to undertake long-haul flights and ranks among Boeing's most sophisticated commercial aircraft, its operational history has been tainted by numerous technical and safety-related problems.
In 2013, the whole Boeing 787 fleet across the globe was grounded due to a series of fires involving the batteries.
One of the fires happened on a Japan Airlines plane that was stationary in Boston, while the other caused an emergency landing in Japan. These incidents led to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding all Dreamliner flights pending the development by Boeing of a safer battery containment and monitoring system.
More recently, in 2024, the company behind the plane was again placed in the spotlight after a whistleblower, engineer Sam Salehpour, alerted the US Senate to irregularities in the Dreamliner's fuselage structure. Salehpour claimed that manufacturing defects such as tiny gaps that were not properly fixed had the potential to cause early wear and even collapse. The FAA then opened an investigation, which continues.
Even after Boeing reassured the Dreamliner was safe and technologically advanced, the plane has been linked to a number of in-flight incidents. In March of this year, a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 lost altitude unexpectedly during flight, leaving 50 passengers injured. An investigation led to the problem being traced to a breakdown in a seat in the cockpit.
Pilots flying the Dreamliner have also experienced other technical problems through the years, such as issues like engine icing, electrical malfunctions, fuel leaks, and generator faults.
Air India plane that crashed on Thursday made its first flight in 2013 and joined the airline's fleet in January 2014, reports Flightradar24.
The exact reason for the crash is under investigation by Air India in partnership with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Official casualty figures have not been announced as yet by the authorities.
In the meantime, the Central government has promised complete cooperation in relief and rescue efforts as the aviation and safety authorities keep on investigating why the disaster occurred.
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