Several Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliners Remain Grounded Amid Operational Challenges

Air India, the flag carrier of India now under Tata Group ownership, is currently facing a significant bottleneck in its wide-body fleet operations. As of July 2025, at least nine Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners remain grounded due to various reasons ranging from technical issues to long-term storage.

According to sources and fleet tracking information, the following Dreamliners are currently not in active service:

What Aircraft are Grounded?

• VT-ANI – Aircraft on Ground (AOG) at Kolkata (CCU).
• VT-ANJ – AOG at Delhi (DEL).
• VT-ANM – Listed as AOG, location not publicly confirmed.
• VT-ANN
• VT-ANO
• VT-ANR
• VT-ANW, and
• VT-TSD – All currently listed as non-operational with no recent commercial flights recorded.
  

The Boeing 787 fleet is the backbone of Air India’s medium- to long-haul international operations. The grounding of these aircraft places considerable strain on scheduling flexibility, especially as the airline tries to scale up global connectivity under its ongoing fleet modernization and expansion efforts.

Air India has not made an official statement regarding the specific causes or timelines for return-to-service of these aircraft. However, aviation observers cite maintenance delays, parts availability issues, and long-overdue overhauls as possible contributing factors.

In a competitive landscape that includes Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines, Air India’s grounded Dreamliners pose a strategic hurdle. The carrier is currently in the middle of a major transformation plan, with new aircraft on order and updated service standards. Yet, operational challenges with the existing fleet remain a reality that cannot be overlooked.

As of now, all eyes remain on when — and whether — these grounded 787s will return to active duty.

An Interesting Case

VT-ALL, nicknamed - Goa is a 17.6 Year old Boeing 777-300ER that has been grounded in NAG for over 5 Years now. This aircraft is said to have been cannibalised for parts during the COVID era. As per flight tracking software - This aircraft has been grounded since 23 February 2024.

There are no reports of the current condition of the aircraft. As per sources, This Aircraft will not see skies anytime soon.