Air India Hong Kong-Delhi Flight Catches Fire After Landing, Passengers Safe

The auxiliary power unit of Air India flight AI-315, flying from Hong Kong to Delhi, caught fire shortly after the plane landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the airline said Tuesday.

The fire was detected while passengers were exiting the plane, the airline said.

The auxiliary power unit, or APU, was automatically shut down once the system detected the fire, and passengers and crew continued to disembark safely, the airline also said.

Air India said there was "some damage" to the aircraft - a twin-jet Airbus A321 - which has been grounded pending an investigation. The Director-General of Civil Aviation has been notified.

The Delhi incident is the latest worry for a domestic carrier that has received nine notices in six months for five safety violations, junior Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament Monday.

3 Incidents In 2 Days For AI

This is also the third near-miss for Air India in 48 hours.

On Monday a Kochi-Mumbai flight veered off the runway while landing, damaging both the plane and the tarmac. Pictures accessed by NDTV showed crumpling of the engine cover.

READ | Close Shave For AI Plane Landing In Mumbai, Engine Damaged

And later in the day a Delhi-Kolkata flight aborted its take-off at the last possible minute - when the plane was travelling at 155 km per hour.

READ | AI Pilots Cancel Take-Off, Hit Brakes When Plane Was At 155 Km/Hr

The airline later said a "technical issue" had been detected during take-off.

Incidentally, there was a "technical issue" that affected a plane in the same sector last month too. Then it was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and the aircraft was forced to return to Hong Kong airport.

This was three days after the Air India Ahmedabad plane crash.

AI-171 Boeing Plane Crash 

But the biggest concern is still the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flying as AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London, that crashed 32 seconds after take-off on June 12. There is no explanation yet for the crash.

The crash, captured live on a phone camera, killed 274 people, including 19 on the ground, after the plane lost thrust mid-air and hit a college hostel. Only one person on the plane survived.

A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau indicated both fuel supply switches had moved from the 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' positions seconds after the plane took off.

NDTV Decodes | Engines Shut, Fuel Cut Off - Inside Doomed Air India Flight

The final report - which should explain exactly what happened - is pending.

However, multiple press reports have focused on the switch positions and a fragment of the recorded conversation between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder.

READ | New Air India Crash Details As US Media Accesses Pilots' Last Words

In that fragment one pilot (it is not clear who) asks the other why he shut off the fuel supply.

In response the second pilot says he did not.

American publication the Wall Street Journal has claimed the recording indicates the pilot - Captain Sabharwal - deliberately switched off the fuel supply. The claim, which lacks definitive proof, has been heavily condemned by the Indian government and the aviation community.

Last week the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, slammed international media for "unverified" and "irresponsible" reporting. The foreign press' reportage was also called out by the United States' National Transportation Safety Board, which is helping the AAIB in this matter.

READ | "Western Media Promoting Own Viewpoint": Aviation Minister On AI Crash

The fuel supply switches on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - which was the plane that crashed - are designed to be immobile unless specifically moved by a pilot, i.e., they are spring-loaded, and have to be lifted up and slotted into position.

This is to avoid accidental movement.

In the aftermath of the AAIB's initial report, domestic airlines operating Boeing jets were instructed to conduct checks on switches that regulate fuel supply to the engines.

READ | Air India Finds "No Issues" With Fuel Control Switches On Boeing 787s

This was made mandatory for all India-registered Boeing planes. Air India later said it had finished the checks and found "no issues".

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