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MUMBAI- The Bombay High Court has ordered India’s aviation regulator, DGCA to investigate the emergency oxygen systems aboard Air India (AI) five Boeing 777-200LR aircraft previously operated by Delta Air Lines (DL) operating on India-US routes.
The investigation centers on a critical safety feature designed to protect passengers during cabin decompression events.
Photo: Air IndiaAir India 777-200LR Oxygen Case
Commercial aircraft like the Boeing 777 operate at altitudes between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, significantly higher than Mount Everest’s 29,000-foot peak. These aircraft maintain passenger survival through pressurized cabins that simulate conditions at 8,000 feet, regardless of cruising altitude.
The pressurization system’s failure triggers an emergency response where oxygen masks deploy automatically from overhead panels. Pilots must then execute a rapid descent protocol, bringing the aircraft to 10,000 feet where supplemental oxygen becomes unnecessary for survival. This descent typically progresses at 5,000 feet per minute.
Air India’s leased Boeing 777 fleet provides 12 minutes of emergency oxygen per passenger, meeting minimum safety requirements for descents over flat terrain. This duration contrasts with other airlines’ Boeing 777 aircraft, which carry up to 22 minutes of oxygen supply per passenger.
The investigation will examine whether this shorter oxygen duration presents any safety concerns for Air India’s long-haul routes.
The cockpit crew receives additional oxygen reserves beyond the passenger supply, ensuring they can maintain control during emergency procedures.
Photo: CanvaWhistleblower Pilot
A senior Air India commander raised safety concerns in January 2023 regarding the Boeing 777’s emergency oxygen capacity during flights over mountainous regions. The pilot questioned management about procedures for cabin decompression emergencies over Greenland, where aircraft must maintain 13,000 feet altitude to clear mountain peaks.
The commander highlighted a critical safety gap in Air India’s Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore routes to New York and San Francisco. These routes traverse mountainous terrain where descent to the safe altitude of 10,000 feet exceeds the aircraft’s 12-minute passenger oxygen supply.
Photo: Collins AerospaceWhile pilots receive extended oxygen reserves, passenger safety remained unaddressed in flight plans according to the commander’s letter.
Air India management’s silence on this safety query led to the commander’s refusal to operate a San Francisco-Bengaluru flight on January 30, 2023. The pilot eventually proceeded after securing approval for an alternative, safer route. The airline responded by grounding the commander in February 2023 and terminating employment in May.
The commander escalated the safety concern to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), citing regulatory violations regarding the Boeing 777’s oxygen supply duration.
The DGCA’s investigation resulted in a Rs 1.1 crore fine imposed on Air India in January 2024 for operating US-bound flights with insufficient emergency oxygen supplies.
The case reached the Bombay High Court in February when the commander filed a writ petition. The petition alleges the DGCA conducted its investigation without hearing the complainant’s testimony, raising questions about the thoroughness of the safety investigation process.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh TekriwalAir India Continues to Fly 777 on US Routes
The Bombay High Court has intensified scrutiny of Air India’s Boeing 777 operations through examination of flight path data from FlightRadar24. The data confirms Air India continues operating US routes with leased Boeing 777 aircraft despite ongoing safety investigations.
Air India maintains its flight operations remain safe, asserting passenger and crew safety has never been compromised.
The airline defends its position by emphasizing route planning complexity extends beyond pilot knowledge, utilizing specialized CAE software to calculate emergency descent paths within the 12-minute oxygen window.
The software reportedly selects routes enabling aircraft to reach 10,000 feet within the critical 12-minute timeframe during decompression events. This technical defense directly addresses concerns about passenger oxygen supply duration over mountainous terrain.
The Bombay High Court’s latest order directs the DGCA to investigate a specific technical question: whether Air India’s leased Boeing 777s can safely execute an emergency descent to 10,000 feet and reach alternate landing sites within the 12-minute oxygen supply window. The court explicitly states it has not made determinations on the case’s merits.
Featured Image by Harsh Tekriwal | X
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