One of the engines on the Air India flight that crashed last week was newly installed, while the other was not due for servicing until December, according to the airline’s chairman.
In an interview with Indian news channel Times Now, Chairman N. Chandrasekaran stated that both engines on the aircraft had "clean" maintenance records.
"The right engine was a new unit installed in March 2025, and the left engine was last serviced in 2023, with its next scheduled maintenance due in December 2025," he said.
The crash of flight AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, occurred less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in western India last Thursday, killing at least 270 people, most of them passengers.
Investigators are now analyzing wreckage and reviewing data from the plane’s black boxes — which include the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — to piece together the aircraft’s final moments and uncover the cause of the crash.
“There’s a lot of speculation and many theories,” Mr. Chandrasekaran said. “But what I can confirm is that this particular aircraft, AI171, had a clean service history. We must avoid drawing premature conclusions.”
He added, “Experts assure me that the black box and recorder data will reveal the full story. We just need to wait.”
Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, told the BBC that the condition of an engine is not solely dependent on its age — particularly when it comes to the Genx-1B engines used in the Boeing 787-8.
“The age of the engine doesn’t necessarily reflect its health, especially in the case of Genx-1B engines,” Chinta said. In other words, a newer engine isn’t always healthier — and vice versa.
Unlike older models, the Genx-1B engines — manufactured by GE Aerospace — do not follow a fixed overhaul or maintenance schedule. Instead, they rely on Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), a system that continuously monitors engine health and performance. Maintenance or replacement decisions are based on real-time data and physical inspections.
However, Chinta noted that certain engine components, known as Life Limited Parts (LLPs), do have a set lifespan — usually between 15,000 and 20,000 cycles. “Every time the engine is started and shut down counts as one cycle,” he explained.
While the investigation is ongoing, Air India has announced a 15% reduction in international operations involving wide-body aircraft until mid-July. The airline cited several contributing factors, including additional safety checks, heightened caution among crew and ground staff, and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
In a statement released Wednesday, the airline described the decision as a response to “compounding circumstances.”
The airline also confirmed that inspections have been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, all of which were cleared for service. India's aviation regulator had ordered these inspections as a preventive measure following the crash. The remaining aircraft are expected to be inspected in the coming days, and enhanced safety checks will also be carried out on the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet.
“These curtailments are painful but necessary in the wake of such a devastating event and the unusual combination of external challenges we’re currently facing,” the statement said.
Industry experts suggest the crash may affect Air India’s broader transformation efforts as it shifts from a troubled, state-run airline to a modern, privately-owned carrier. Tata Sons, which owns major global brands including Tetley Tea and Jaguar Land Rover, acquired Air India from the Indian government in 2022.
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