Boeing reassures safety of fuel control switches despite global airline checks

Despite these assurances from the FAA and Boeing, several international aviation regulators and airlines have initiated precautionary checks. Etihad Airways has instructed its Boeing 787 pilots to "exercise caution" with fuel control switches. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered inspections of fuel switch locking mechanisms on all Indian carriers operating Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft by July 21.

South Korea is also preparing to instruct domestic airlines to inspect these switches in line with FAA guidance from 2018. A spokesperson from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed this plan but did not provide a timeline.

The AAIB's preliminary report cited a 2018 FAA advisory recommending inspections of fuel cutoff switch locking features for several Boeing models to prevent accidental movement. Air India had not conducted these inspections due to their non-mandatory status but had replaced throttle control modules containing these switches in both 2019 and 2023.

Cockpit voice recordings revealed that during Flight 171's final moments, one pilot questioned why the fuel was cut off while another denied doing so. Investigators found that switches moved to CUTOFF shortly after takeoff but have yet to determine how or why it happened.