The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to an Air India pilot for operating a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the India–Japan route in June 2025, despite the aircraft having a known history of repeated technical snags.

According to the notice issued on December 29, 2025, the regulator flagged “serious safety concerns” related to aircraft dispatch procedures, Minimum Equipment List (MEL) compliance, and flight crew decision-making during the operation of flights AI 358 (Delhi–Tokyo Haneda) and AI 357 (Tokyo–Delhi).

One of the flights from Tokyo to Delhi had to be diverted to Kolkata after the aircraft cabin reportedly became uncomfortably hot towards the end of June. In another sector, a smell of smoke was observed during flight operations, further escalating safety concerns.

The DGCA noted that repetitive snags linked to the same aircraft systems had been recorded on at least five previous sectors, pointing to a “known history of system degradation”. Despite this, the aircraft — registered as VT-ANI — was dispatched with what the regulator described as “incompatible MEL items”, in violation of prescribed safety norms.

“In spite of prior knowledge of repeated snags and existing system degradations, the pilots of flights AI-358 and AI-357 accepted the aircraft for operation,” the notice stated, holding the operating crew accountable for failing to adequately assess the combined safety impact of multiple inoperative systems.

The regulator has directed the concerned pilot to respond within 14 days, explaining why enforcement action should not be initiated for non-compliance with aviation safety rules.

Air India has not officially commented on the notice. However, sources within the airline said the matter relates to incidents from June 2025 and claimed that the technical issues were addressed and resolved at the time.