The tail section of an Air India flight from Hong Kong to New Delhi caught fire at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Tuesday afternoon. All 158 passengers on board were reported safe, and the aircraft has since been grounded.
The fire reportedly originated in the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), a backup power system located in the tail cone of the aircraft. “The incident occurred around 12.30 p.m. and smoke was observed emanating from the APU exhaust, which is an opening on the outer portion of the tail,” said an airport official.
Flight AI 315 had departed Hong Kong International Airport at 8.59 p.m. (local time) on Monday and arrived at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport at 12.31 p.m. on Tuesday.
In an official statement, Air India said: “Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 22 July, experienced an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) fire shortly after landing and parking at the gate. The incident occurred while passengers had begun disembarking, and the APU was automatically shut down as per system design. There was some damage to the aircraft; however, passengers and crew members disembarked normally and are safe. The aircraft has been grounded for further investigation and the regulator has been duly informed.”
An airport source described the fire as a minor one. “Most passengers were unaware of the incident. There was no panic. In fact, the majority had already deboarded by the time the fire occurred,” the source said.
The fire reportedly originated in the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), a backup power system located in the tail cone of the aircraft. “The incident occurred around 12.30 p.m. and smoke was observed emanating from the APU exhaust, which is an opening on the outer portion of the tail,” said an airport official.
Flight AI 315 had departed Hong Kong International Airport at 8.59 p.m. (local time) on Monday and arrived at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport at 12.31 p.m. on Tuesday.
In an official statement, Air India said: “Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 22 July, experienced an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) fire shortly after landing and parking at the gate. The incident occurred while passengers had begun disembarking, and the APU was automatically shut down as per system design. There was some damage to the aircraft; however, passengers and crew members disembarked normally and are safe. The aircraft has been grounded for further investigation and the regulator has been duly informed.”
An airport source described the fire as a minor one. “Most passengers were unaware of the incident. There was no panic. In fact, the majority had already deboarded by the time the fire occurred,” the source said.
