4 min readNew DelhiJul 15, 2025 07:41 PM IST
The British aviation regulator UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) did not issue any safety notice in May this year mandating inspection of Boeing aircraft due to concerns over fuel shutoff valves. The notice that has been quoted in some reports and is doing rounds on social media was originally issued in 2015, and was re-uploaded on the CAA website on May 15 this year to just reflect a change in the agency’s contact information, the CAA clarified to The Indian Express. The UK aviation regulator also said that it has no technical concern about Boeing aircraft and has not asked British operators of Boeing planes for any action following the preliminary report into the June 12 crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad.
“To clarify that the safety notice (Number SN-2015/005) was issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 to update the contact email address on the document… Due to the update to the contact email address, our website published the document as if it was a new document,” a CAA spokesperson said in response to queries on the issue, clearing confusion.
Given the public discourse around the Air India crash and the recently-released preliminary investigation report that identified fuel supply cut-off as the primary trigger for the accident, the said safety notice pertaining to fuel shutoff valves on various Boeing aircraft including the 787 led to considerable speculation in sections of the Indian news media and social media. The Indian Express compared both versions of the safety notice SN-2015/005, and found them to be the same, with the exception of the email address mentioned.
“Whilst the Air India accident investigation is ongoing, we do not have any technical concern with regards to Boeing products and we do not require any additional actions from UK operators,” the CAA spokesperson said in response to queries on whether the UK regulator is going to direct British carriers to conduct checks on their Boeing aircraft.
With the investigation into the Air India crash focusing on the engine fuel control switches, India’s aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked for inspection of the switches’ locking mechanism on most of the India-registered Boeing commercial aircraft by July 21 in line with the Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2018. Some other countries are expected to advise their airlines to conduct similar checks, while a few airlines have started checks on a voluntary basis. The FAA and the CAA, however, are not considering ordering any checks at this stage.
The preliminary investigation report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that the Air India plane crashed after both its engines were starved of fuel as the two fuel control switches transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position within a second of each other moments after lift-off. Experts say accidental movement of these switches—used to allow and cut fuel supply to the aircraft’s engines—is not quite possible. The spring-loaded switches have brackets on either side to protect them and the locking mechanism requires the pilots to lift the switch up before moving it between either of its two positions—RUN and CUTOFF.
While not linking the crash with the potential fuel lock disengagement issue mentioned in the SAIB, the report did make a reference to it while listing the aircraft information. This SAIB was issued by the FAA after a few Boeing 737 operators said that some fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. Various Boeing aircraft, including the 787s, have fuel control switches similar to those on the 737s. The SAIB did not classify the concern as an unsafe condition, but had advised operators of various Boeing models to inspect the switches.
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In view of the Air India crash, there have been calls from various quarters in India and abroad for the checks recommended in the 2018 SAIB to be conducted to ensure that fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft are functioning as intended.
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