Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran has revealed that one of the engines on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed last week was newly installed in March 2025, while the second engine was not due for servicing until December. He emphasized that both engines had clean operational histories.
In an interview with Times Now, Chandrasekaran stated, “The right engine was new, fitted in March this year. The left engine had its last servicing in 2023 and was scheduled for its next check in December 2025.”
The tragic crash of flight AI171, bound for London from Ahmedabad, claimed at least 270 lives—most of them passengers—when the aircraft went down less than a minute after takeoff on Thursday. Investigators have since recovered the black boxes and are analyzing flight data and cockpit voice recordings to determine what led to the fatal incident.
“There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories,” Chandrasekaran noted. “But what I know so far is that this particular aircraft, tail number AI171, has a clean history. We must wait for the full analysis from the flight recorders.”
Experts have advised caution in linking engine age to performance. Former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau official Kishore Chinta told the BBC that Genx-1B engines, used on the 787-8, don’t rely on fixed maintenance schedules. Instead, they are monitored in real time using Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) systems that assess engine performance continuously and trigger servicing based on actual condition rather than age.
Chinta further explained that some components, known as Life Limited Parts (LLPs), still adhere to fixed operational lifespans—typically between 15,000 to 20,000 cycles. “Every start and shutdown counts as one cycle,” he added.
While investigators continue piecing together the aircraft’s final moments, authorities are urging the public to avoid premature conclusions and wait for official findings.
