An Air India Airbus A320 experienced a critical and potentially catastrophic failure of all three hydraulic systems during flight in early August, temporarily leaving pilots without control of essential surfaces that govern the aircraft's pitch and roll. The incident, which occurred aboard flight AI2379 operating between Phuket and Delhi on August 4, saw the aircraft descend approximately 90 metres while 24 people on board sustained injuries. Although the flight ultimately touched down safely in Delhi, preliminary analysis by Airbus reveals the severity of the technical malfunction and raises serious questions about how a modern commercial aircraft could lose all redundant hydraulic systems simultaneously.
According to the Airbus assessment reviewed by Reuters, the sequence of events unfolded with alarming speed. The three independent hydraulic systems that power critical flight control surfaces failed in rapid succession, leaving pilots completely unable to manipulate the elevators and ailerons for roughly four seconds—an eternity in aviation terms. During this window of lost control authority, the aircraft pitched upward uncontrollably. The first officer responded by applying full nose-down input to counter the climb, yet received no physical feedback or response from the flight control surfaces, indicating that the hydraulic pressure sustaining those systems had completely vanished. The situation normalised only when all three hydraulic systems spontaneously recovered within seconds, restoring pilot authority over the aircraft.
The Airbus communication to Air India requesting a comprehensive assessment notably stopped short of identifying a root cause for the hydraulic failures. This absence of clarity is significant, as simultaneous failure across all three independent systems suggests either a common causal factor affecting multiple redundant circuits or an extraordinarily unlikely cascade of coincidental failures. The manufacturer's inability to pinpoint the problem in its preliminary review underscores the complexity of modern aircraft systems and the challenges investigators face in understanding how such novel malfunctions occur.
In response to the incident, Airbus has initiated an extensive diagnostic protocol that Air India must follow. The airline has been instructed to conduct rigorous testing of the hydraulic systems themselves, as well as the pressure sensors and switches that continuously monitor system health. Several sensors are to be removed from the aircraft for detailed laboratory inspection, and Airbus indicated that wiring inspections may become necessary depending on findings from these preliminary checks. Additionally, because the aircraft experienced forces exceeding established design limits during the sudden altitude loss, Airbus has mandated a structural inspection to identify any permanent damage to the airframe caused by the abrupt movement.
The investigation has expanded beyond technical systems to encompass aircraft maintenance records. Airbus requested detailed documentation of all hydraulic system maintenance performed in the month preceding the incident, a logical step given that improper servicing or component installation could conceivably affect system reliability. The manufacturer also sought more comprehensive accounts from the flight crew regarding their observations and actions during the incident, information that might illuminate whether any warning signs preceded the catastrophic loss of hydraulic pressure.
Air India's initial public characterisation of the event as turbulence-related has since been abandoned in favour of a more neutral description acknowledging the sudden altitude loss. This pivot suggests either evolving understanding among the airline's safety team or an attempt to distance the explanation from meteorological causes. Indian aviation authorities have classified the occurrence as a serious incident—a formal designation denoting an event that could have developed into an accident had the outcome been less fortunate—and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has assumed investigative control with technical support from Airbus and France's BEA.
Complicating the safety narrative, the captain of the aircraft tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test administered following the incident. While authorities and Air India have emphasised that no connection has been established between the test result and the technical malfunction, the revelation has triggered institutional responses within the airline. Air India initiated mandatory substance testing for all pilots on August 13, signalling heightened scrutiny of crew medical and fitness standards. The positive test, however, underscores the multiple layers of investigation now surrounding this event, from technical system failure to crew condition assessment.
The incident arrives at a particularly sensitive moment for Air India, which operates under mounting pressure to demonstrate safety competence and operational reliability. The airline's parent company, the Tata Group, recently appointed Tewolde Gebremariam, former chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines, to lead a comprehensive turnaround effort. Gebremariam inherits an organisation grappling with persistent losses and an increasingly sceptical regulatory environment, particularly following the catastrophic June 2025 crash of one of Air India's Boeing 787s near Ahmedabad, an accident that claimed 260 lives and triggered intense scrutiny from Indian authorities and the international aviation community.
This August A320 incident, though less fatal, compounds existing concerns about Air India's safety culture and maintenance standards. The simultaneous failure of three redundant systems challenges fundamental assumptions about aircraft design philosophy and the adequacy of current maintenance and inspection protocols. For Singapore Airlines, which holds approximately 25 percent equity in Air India through its strategic partnership, the incident reinforces the operational and reputational risks inherent in its stake in the carrier. The confluence of technical mystery, crew health questions, and broader institutional instability suggests that Air India faces a protracted investigation with implications extending far beyond the airline's immediate operations to encompass the broader Southeast Asian aviation sector and regional passenger confidence in Indian carriers.
