Qantas, Jetstar to keep flying 787s while they ‘closely monitor’ Air India crash investigation

Widely considered one of the safest aircraft ever made, Boeing’s Dreamliner is now under a cloud after the first fatal hull loss crash of a 787-8.

Other operators of Boeing Dreamliners are closely monitoring the investigation into the Air India crash, which saw a 787-8 plough into a medical training facility at Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff on Thursday.

There was much speculation as to the cause, after the 256-seat aircraft struggled to gain altitude following lift-off reaching 190m (625ft) before falling out of the sky with its landing gear still extended.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on-board were killed and more than 50 people on the ground died, in a horrific outcome.

A spokesman for Qantas and Jetstar said the airline group would closely follow the investigation into the crash of the 787-8, the same type of aircraft used by Jetstar on international routes, and a variant of Qantas’ 787-9 fleet.

As yet there has been no direction from regulators to ground the aircraft, in a strong indication the cause was unlikely to be mechanical malfunction.

The Qantas spokesman said the group extended its deepest condolences to all of those affected by “this devastating accident in Ahmedabad”.

“Aviation authorities are in the process of thoroughly investigating the cause of this incident and we will closely monitor the findings,” said the spokesman.

It is the first major crash of a Boeing 787 which first entered commercial service in 2011.

Jetstar began operating 787-8s in 2013 and now has 11 in its fleet, and Qantas took delivery of its first of 14 787-9s in 2017.

Qantas is satisfied the 787-9s remain a very safe aircraft to operate. Picture: iStock

Worldwide, 397 787-8s are in operation as part of a larger fleet of 1116 Dreamliners, including 621 787-9s and 98 787-10s.

Boeing released a brief statement in the wake of the Air India crash, expressing the company’s condolences and offering support.

CEO Kelly Ortberg said he had spoken with Air India’s chairman, and advised the Boeing team “stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau”.

Prior to Thursday’s crash, there had been no fatal hull loss crashes of 787s, widely considered extremely safe aircraft because of the level of redundancy built in.

A 787 pilot who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it was “a magnificent aircraft design”.

“It’s a purpose-built long-range superb piece of engineering with redundancy through the roof,” said the pilot.

“It has six generators, two on each engine plus two on the auxiliary power unit; six hydraulic pumps powering three independent systems.”

He said the airport in Ahmedabad was known for having a problem with birds which could cause significant damage, but “for both engines to fail in only 30 seconds of flight seems unlikely”.

“This 787 should have easily flown away and climbed out if an engine did fail just prior to takeoff. The (landing) gear not being raised is alarming.”

CEO of Aviation Safety Systems John Cox said the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder should give investigators the information they need to explain the crash.

“Looking at the video, the landing gear was down, but the pictures are not of sufficient fidelity to definitely say that the flaps were retracted but they do raise a question about that,” said Mr Cox.

Retracting the flaps too soon after takeoff can increase the drag on the aircraft making it harder to gain altitude, particularly with the landing gear still extended.

Dual engine failure or birdstrike were other possible causes likely to be explored by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

In 2024 South American carrier LATAM Airlines experienced an “in-flight upset” on a 787-9 en route from Sydney to Auckland, resulting in injuries to more than 50 people when the aircraft abruptly dropped.

It soon emerged the incident was not a mechanical issue but the inadvertent movement of the pilot’s seat into the controls, which saw the plane’s nose pushed down.

Originally published as Qantas, Jetstar to keep flying 787s while they ‘closely monitor’ Air India crash investigation