India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models, as scrutiny intensifies over the fuel switch locks at the centre of an investigation into last month's deadly Air India crash.
South Korea said it would also order a similar measure, despite Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) telling airlines and regulators in recent days that the locks were safe.
A preliminary report into the Air India jet crash, which killed 260 people, found the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from the run position to cut-off shortly after take-off.
The report noted a 2018 advisory from the FAA, which recommended but did not mandate operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of the switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that following this 2018 advisory, all Qantas and Jetstar Boeing 787 and 737 planes were checked, with "no issues" identified with the cut-off switches.
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia, which operates Boeing 737 aircraft, said it was "closely monitoring" the Air India investigation and would work with Australia's aviation safety regulator "if required".
In an internal memo on Monday, local time, Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the crash was far from over, with a final report expected within a year.
"The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions," he said.
India orders investigation on several Boeing models
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it had issued an order to investigate locks on several Boeing models including 787s and 737s, after several Indian and international airlines began making their own inspections of fuel switches.
The regulator oversees the world's third-largest and fastest-growing aviation market, with Boeing aircraft used by three of the country's four largest airlines.
A spokesperson for the South Korean transport ministry said checks there were in line with the 2018 advisory from the FAA, but it did not give a timeline on when they would be completed.
Boeing referred questions from Reuters to the FAA, which was not immediately available to comment outside regular hours.
Some other global airlines have been weighing their own inspections or begun their own checks.
In a statement, Japan's JAL said safety was its top priority.
"We are closely monitoring the investigation into the incident and will implement any necessary inspections based on its findings," it said.
Air India conducts checks
Air India Group started checking the locking mechanism on the fuel switches of its Boeing 787 and 737 fleets over the weekend and had discovered no problems yet, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
About half of the group's 787s have been inspected and nearly all of its 737s, the source added, saying inspections were set to be completed in the next day or two.
On Sunday, Reuters reported that Boeing and the FAA privately issued notifications to airlines and regulators that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes were safe and checks were not required.
The Air India crash preliminary report said the airline had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections because the FAA's 2018 advisory was not a mandate.
It also said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash.
ABC/Reuters
