According to data presented in Parliament on Thursday, February 5, 2026, a high proportion of aircraft in the Air India Group fleet have shown recurring technical defects, drawing attention to maintenance trends within India’s largest airline group. The figures were disclosed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in response to questions from lawmakers.

Official data revealed that out of 267 aircraft reviewed across the Air India Group since January of the previous year, 191 planes — roughly 70 percent — were identified as having repetitive technical issues during inspections conducted by regulatory authorities. Within this total, 137 of 166 Air India aircraft and 54 of 101 Air India Express planes were found to have recurring defects.

Responding to the data, an airline official said that extensive checks were conducted “out of abundant caution,” and that the higher number of flagged issues reflects comprehensive scrutiny across the fleet rather than a concentrated safety concern. The airline also noted that many of the recorded problems fall into lower-priority categories involving cabin fixtures such

as seats and tray tables, which do not directly affect aircraft safety.

The disclosure follows other recent technical concerns involving Air India aircraft, including the grounding of a Boeing 787 aircraft after an aviation regulator raised potential safety concerns, and routine inspections following previous flagged issues.

The Ministry’s report also noted that industry-wide checks covered 754 planes across six scheduled carriers, with 377 aircraft in total showing repeat technical issues, reflecting broader inspection activity within the civil aviation sector.

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