Published on October 13, 2025
India’s aviation regulator, nan Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has instructed Air India to behaviour a thorough inspection of nan Ram Air Turbine (RAT) strategy connected respective of its 787 Dreamliner jets. The move comes aft an incident involving nan deployment of nan emergency powerfulness strategy during nan last attack of an Air India flight, highlighting concerns complete nan system’s functionality and safety.
The RAT strategy is simply a important emergency powerfulness system installed connected aircraft. It is designed to supply backup powerfulness to basal systems successful lawsuit of superior powerfulness failure. The regulator has besides called connected Boeing, nan shaper of nan aircraft, to taxable a elaborate study addressing nan incident and outlining preventive measures to debar specified occurrences successful nan future.
Incident Details and Initial Investigation
The incident that prompted nan regulatory action occurred connected October 5, 2025, during a formation from Amritsar successful bluish India to Birmingham, UK. The unit connected committee nan Air India 787 Dreamliner detected nan unexpected deployment of nan RAT strategy during their last attack into Birmingham. This raised concerns, arsenic nan RAT strategy is not typically activated during normal formation operations but is meant to deploy successful emergencies erstwhile location is simply a nonaccomplishment of power.
This arena led nan DGCA to return contiguous action, directing Air India to guarantee that nan RAT strategy connected its fleet of 787s is thoroughly checked. Additionally, nan regulator has asked Boeing to supply a study that includes nan circumstances surrounding nan incident, preventive measures successful spot to debar specified events, and recommendations for ensuring nan information of nan craft successful akin scenarios.
Safety Concerns and Further Investigation
This incident is not nan first clip nan RAT system has been successful nan spotlight successful narration to Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft. In July 2025, investigators successful India revealed that nan RAT had been deployed during nan initial climb of an earlier Air India 787 flight. That flight, tragically, ended successful a crash, sidesplitting 260 people successful June 2025. The deployment of nan RAT during nan first climb raised suspicions and led to accrued scrutiny of nan emergency powerfulness system.
The incident pinch nan Air India 787 Dreamliner successful October 2025 adds further urgency to nan investigation into nan information and reliability of nan RAT system, particularly regarding its inadvertent activation during captious phases of flight. While Air India and Boeing did not instantly respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, nan ongoing investigations person captured nan attraction of some aviation experts and regulators worldwide.
Role of nan Ram Air Turbine (RAT) successful Aviation Safety
The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is simply a mini turbine that automatically deploys erstwhile a important nonaccomplishment of powerfulness occurs successful nan aircraft’s superior systems. Once deployed, nan RAT provides emergency powerfulness to basal formation systems, including avionics and hydraulics, allowing nan pilots to support power of nan craft and onshore safely. It is designed arsenic a last-resort strategy erstwhile nan aircraft’s engines aliases generators fail.
Given its captious domiciled successful ensuring nan information of nan craft during emergency situations, immoderate inadvertent activation aliases malfunction of nan RAT is simply a superior interest for some airlines and aviation regulators. This interest has been heightened by nan incidents involving Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, arsenic nan RAT is not expected to beryllium deployed during regular operations. Ensuring nan RAT strategy functions arsenic intended, without unexpected deployment, is important to maintaining nan wide information of passengers and crew.
Boeing’s Responsibility and Regulatory Expectations
In summation to Air India’s inspections, nan DGCA has called upon Boeing to taxable a elaborate study connected nan RAT deployment incidents. The study will apt see an study of why nan RAT strategy was deployed unexpectedly and what measures Boeing has taken aliases plans to instrumentality to forestall specified occurrences successful nan future. As nan shaper of nan 787 Dreamliner, Boeing is responsible for ensuring nan creation and functionality of nan aircraft, including nan emergency powerfulness systems specified arsenic nan RAT.
Boeing’s consequence to this incident will beryllium captious successful shaping nan early of nan aircraft’s information protocols and nan assurance of regulators and airlines successful nan 787 Dreamliner. It is expected that Boeing will activity intimately pinch nan DGCA and Air India to reside nan information concerns raised by nan unexpected deployment of nan RAT system.
Global Aviation Safety and Lessons Learned
The activation of nan RAT strategy during Air India’s formation successful October 2025 serves arsenic a stark reminder of nan value of aircraft information systems and nan captious request for regular checks and maintenance. The investigation into nan deployment of nan RAT strategy is not only captious for nan information of Air India’s passengers and unit but besides serves arsenic an opportunity for nan broader aviation manufacture to reappraisal and amended its emergency powerfulness systems.
As aviation continues to evolve, nan lessons learned from incidents for illustration these will style nan measurement airlines, manufacturers, and regulators attack information measures and strategy reliability. The DGCA’s proactive stance connected addressing imaginable information risks successful nan Boeing 787 fleet is simply a captious measurement successful ensuring that specified incidents do not discuss nan information of aerial travel, which remains 1 of nan safest modes of transportation.
Conclusion: Ensuring Passenger Safety successful Aviation
In conclusion, nan DGCA’s directive for Air India to inspect nan RAT strategy connected its 787 Dreamliners highlights nan value of changeless vigilance successful maintaining nan information of aircraft. As investigations proceed into nan deployment of nan RAT system, some Air India and Boeing must collaborate to guarantee that information protocols are strengthened, and akin incidents do not hap successful nan future.
While nan RAT deployment incident is concerning, nan actions taken by nan DGCA and nan broader aviation organization show nan committedness to ensuring rider information and preventing early risks. It is important for nan hose and craft shaper to activity together to guarantee that nan 787 Dreamliner continues to meet nan highest information standards, providing bid of mind for passengers and unit alike.
[Source: Reuters]