NEW DELHI: Murmurs of discontent have broken out over Air India’s handling of the issue of persistent technical glitches, including occasional engine failure, in newly acquired Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, with senior officials pointing the finger at Rohit Nandan, who served as the chairman and managing director of the debt-laden national carrier till last month. Although Air India has turned down the American manufacturer’s suggestion to opt for the 787-9 variant for the six planes that remain to be delivered as part of the contract by the end of next year, it now appears that Nandan pushed for considering the alternative and directed re-examination of the swapping proposal after it had been shot down by at least eight senior officials, including functional directors. Further, according to official documents, reviewed by ET, these officials also questioned Boeing’s “intentions” for a swap and feared that the slots vacated by Air India could be offered to competitors. The airline’s management was also cold towards seeking compensation from Boeing, or stopping delivery of aircraft, on account of repeated component failures, since 15-20% of the fleet is generally grounded, according to an official. In a meeting on August 13, Air India officials complained to Boeing executives that there are as many as 23 defective components in the 787 aircraft that are affecting the performance of its fleet. The manufacturer accepted that there were issues with the planes, a person privy to the details of the meeting said. Air India had in 2005 placed an order for acquiring 68 aircraft, including 27 Dreamliners, of which 21 aircraft have already been received and another six are expected to join the fleet by 2016. Nandan, who is currently secretary, ministry of skill development, told ET, “There are problems, but none of the issues we discussed during the presentation affect safety of the aircraft. Boeing has cooperated with us and there is no need to seek compensation.” He further said, “We do get spares and replacements from vendors; sometimes there is a delay.” A senior Air India official, who did not wish to be identified, said: “It was also suggested that delivery of the remaining Dreamliners be stopped but the CMD (Nandan) said the fleet is a game changer.” Dinesh Keskar, Boeing’s senior vice-president for Asia Pacific and India, said in an email response to ET’s queries, “We are in continuous conversation with Air India about the performance of their 787 fleet. Today, the fleet-wide reliability for the 787 is pushing 99%, and we continue to make progress implementing a series of component and software improvements.” The 787s are providing superior performance and value to Air India, with unmatched fuel efficiency, Keskar further said. Air India’s director-commercial Pankaj Srivastva, however, said even Japan Airlines and ANA are grappling with technical glitches in their Dreamliner fleets. The Air India officials cited earlier said that the fleet has been beset by repeated component failures and problems with cooling valves of AC system, cabin air compressor, battery fire warnings, windshield cracks, ACM bypass valves, galley food cooling system, electric actuators of spoilers, software, lavatory doors and under sink panels, ram fan, water boilers, etc. A senior official, who is in direct knowledge of maintenance issues and component failures, said, “What we are doing is cannibalisation, removing parts from one aircraft, where wear and tear has already happened, and fitting it into another aircraft. Imagine these are new aircraft.” Another official said, “Instead of resolving technical issues, or compensating us, Boeing asked us to swap 787-8s with 787-9 version. We can’t be testing ground for new version 787-9s, they should first clear issues with 787-8s.” Nandan made it clear that the carrier had decided not to go for the higher range planes suggested by Boeing. “Dinesh Keskar will market his planes but we don’t need 787-9, it is not commercially viable for us, we want Boeing 787-8 only,” he said. Keskar, on his part, said that Boeing discusses such possibilities with all its clients. “We do this with all of our customers. Boeing continually has conversations with Air India about which airplanes best fit their current and future fleet,” he said. Nandan, when asked why he pushed for considering the 787-9, after it had been rejected by top officials, said, “It is final. We have decided not to go ahead with 787-9 and dropped this proposal. This was not commercially viable. Beyond this I can’t discuss our business plans.” Officials said Air India had in a meeting with Boeing representatives last year discussed the option to replace six 787-8s with five 787-9s, since the latter have higher thrust level, more seating and cargo capacity, but to be made available in 2018 instead of 2016 and that too at an additional cost. Nandan, in March this year, however, directed re-examination of the proposal, and he did so after he and three other directors held a meeting with a Boeing representative, officials said. But, in June, Air India’s board rejected this proposal.