Saturday, March 29, 2025
New Delhi, July 22 – A serious scare unfolded at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport when Air India flight AI 315, arriving from Hong Kong, experienced a fire in its Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shortly after landing. Fortunately, all passengers and crew members are safe, and no injuries have been reported.
The incident occurred after the aircraft had successfully landed and parked at the gate. As passengers were in the process of deboarding, flames were noticed in the APU located at the rear of the aircraft. The fire was contained quickly and did not spread to other parts of the plane.
According to official sources, no structural damage occurred to the aircraft, though minor technical impact was noted. The APU automatically shut down as designed, and the aircraft has now been grounded for a detailed technical inspection.
In an official statement, Air India confirmed that the fire was restricted to the Auxiliary Power Unit, and that all systems functioned as per design protocols. The aircraft involved belongs to Vistara Airlines, which now operates under the Air India brand following their merger.
“On July 22, 2025, Air India flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi, experienced a fire in the APU shortly after gate parking. The unit shut down automatically during passenger disembarkation. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated,” the airline spokesperson stated.
The Auxiliary Power Unit is a small engine located at the tail of the aircraft, primarily used to provide power and air conditioning when the main engines are off, especially during boarding, ground operations, and startup.
Delhi Airport authorities have confirmed that no flight delays or runway disruptions were caused by this incident. Safety procedures were swiftly implemented, and the aircraft was safely removed from operational use.
This incident follows another close call involving an Air India Delhi-Kolkata flight, where a potential accident was avoided after the pilot aborted takeoff due to high speed concerns on the runway.
