CHENNAI: India’s textile, apparel and leather exporters are expecting a sustained recovery in orders from the US, following tariff reductions under the proposed India–US trade deal. Industry representatives said the move will restore competitiveness, improve margins and revive volumes that were under pressure over the past year.Textile and apparel exporters are now expecting an increased sourcing by global brands as India will now enjoy one of the lowest tariff regimes among major Asian manufacturing hubs, with a marginal advantage over competitors, such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China. The tariff relief is expected to create a level-playing field, particularly for small and medium exporters in clusters such as Surat, Gurugram and Tirupur.Prabhu Dhamodharan, convenor of the Indian Texpreneurs Federation, said sourcing interest of US from India is rising and exports are likely to improve steadily. “The apparel and home textile exports will witness month-on-month double-digit growth from the 2026–27 fiscal, lifting the monthly apparel export run rate to $1.5 to $1.6 billion, from the current $1.3 billion.”

Eyeing a level-playing field

A Sakthivel, chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, said improved trade terms would significantly enhance the competitiveness of Indian apparel products in the US market.The leather sector has termed the US decision to reduce tariffs to 18% a “double dhamaka”, coming soon after India’s strategic trade deal with the European Union. Israr Ahmed, former vice-president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (Fieo) and managing director of the Farida Group, said exporters had been absorbing the impact of high tariffs by offering discounts of 20–30%. “With the US now reducing tariffs on Indian goods to 18%— a rate lower than those faced by key South Asian competitors, such as Bangladesh and Vietnam — these heavy discounts are no longer necessary,” he said, adding that this would help restore pricing and margins.Rafiq Ahmed, chairman of Kothari Industrial Corporation, noted that competition in the US market has intensified over the past year but said long-standing relationships would help Indian exporters regain lost ground. “The orders from the US, which got reduced in the past one year, will start flowing,” he said.Yavar Dhala, vice-president of the Indian Shoe Federation and CEO of Infinite Leather, said India’s share of leather exports to the US could rise from about 22% to nearly 30% this year, adding that factories operating fewer days due to high tariffs could return to a six-day work week.

Air India Plane’s Fuel Control: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday issued a rejoinder on the news item relating to the purported malfunction of the fuel cut-off switch on Air India’s Boeing B787-8 aircraft VT-ANX in London. 

The rejoinder states that, based on the Boeing recommended checks to establish the serviceability of the fuel control switch, Air India engineering observed that: “Both left and right switches were checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth fully seated and not slipping from RUN to CUTOFF. When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure. However, applying external force in an incorrect direction caused the switch to move easily from RUN to CUTOFF, due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb.”

In addition, based on Boeing’s communication, the pull-to-unlock force was checked on the fuel control switch using the recommended procedure on the involved fuel cut-off switch, the fuel control unit to be installed, and the fuel cut-off switch of another aircraft. In all cases, the pull-to-unlock force was found within limits. These inspections were carried out in the presence of DGCA officers, the ministry’s statement said.

The video currently circulating on social media was analysed in light of Boeing’s recommended procedures, and it was observed that the procedure demonstrated in the video being circulated is incorrect, the statement observed.

The airline is being advised to circulate the Boeing recommended procedure for the operation of the Fuel CUT OFF switch to its crew members, the statement said.

On February 1, 2026, Air India B787-8 aircraft VT-ANX operated flight AI 132 (London- Bengaluru). During engine start in London, on two occasions, the crew observed that the fuel control switch did not remain positively latched in the ‘RUN’ position when light vertical pressure was applied. On the third attempt, the switch latched correctly in ‘RUN’ and subsequently remained stable. Before continuing with the rest of the procedure, a physical verification was performed by the crew to confirm that the switch was fully and positively latched in the ‘RUN’ position. No abnormal engine parameters, cautions, warnings, or related system messages were observed during engine start or at any time thereafter.

The operating crew member was briefed on the observation, unnecessary contact with the switch was avoided, and engine indications and alerting systems were closely monitored by the crew for the remainder of the flight. The flight was completed without incident.

After landing at Bengaluru, the crew reported the defect in the PDR. Air India referred the matter to Boeing for further guidance, after which the airline’s engineering department carried out the checks in the presence of DGCA officials, the statement said.