An Air India Airbus A321 operating flight AI‑315 from Hong Kong to New Delhi was engulfed in flames in the auxiliary power unit a few minutes after landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport on 22 July 2025. The aircraft had safely touched down and parked at the gate when smoke emanated from the tail section, prompting an automatic shutdown of the APU. All 170 passengers and crew disembarked without injury before fire crews extinguished the blaze and grounded the jet for a technical investigation.
Investigations have been notified to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Delhi airport operator, DIAL, with initial assessments indicating that a maintenance issue could have contributed to the malfunction. Industry insiders point to leftover fuel or oil in the APU’s piping system as potential ignition sources, though official findings are pending.
The APU, a compact auxiliary turbine nestled in the aircraft’s tail cone, supplies electrical power and environmental control when the main engines are inactive. It also serves as a backup generator. APU fires are uncommon but have occurred internationally, most notably when oil leaks led to smoke entering cabins on ground before take-off.
This incident compounds a series of safety concerns surrounding Air India. Within two days of the APU fire, one flight experienced a runway excursion in Mumbai and another aborted take‑off at Delhi due to technical problems. The airline also received nine notices over five separate safety violations in the six months preceding this event.
Air India confirmed in its X post that the APU was shut down “as per system design” and reported “some damage” to the aircraft. The airline stated that the aircraft remains grounded and that an in-depth inspection is underway.
Civil aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan said the incident did not constitute a major safety lapse, noting that modern aircraft are equipped with APU fire‑extinguishing systems designed to quickly control such events. He added that airline crews receive training to manage these systems effectively.
Nevertheless, the timing is particularly sensitive. The embarrassing APU fire follows last month’s crash of Air India Flight AI‑171, a Boeing 787‑8, which went down shortly after take‑off from Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025, claiming 242 lives onboard and 19 on the ground. Preliminary findings from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau linked that disaster to a fuel‑shutoff switch moving to cutoff from run mode, prompting directives for fleet‑wide inspections of similar systems.
In response to the tragic crash, the DGCA ordered additional inspections of Boeing 787 and 737 fuel‑supply systems, including lock mechanisms on fuel‑cutoff switches. Air India reported completion of these inspections with no further anomalies.
Scrutiny of Air India’s maintenance protocols has intensified. Industry analysts believe this spate of technical episodes—ranging from runway excursions to ground fires—highlights the pressing need for more rigorous checks and enhanced regulatory oversight. Stakeholders have urged the airline to upgrade its safety audit mechanisms and ensure compliance at every operational level.
Meanwhile, the APU‑blaze aircraft remains grounded at IGI’s Terminal 3 apron under DGCA supervision. Engineers are conducting a detailed examination of the turbine assembly, fuel lines, fire‑detection sensors and automated shut‑off systems. A final report will determine causes and propose remediation measures.
Questions are also circulating over whether the airline notified Air Traffic Control and airport safety teams promptly. Some airport sources indicated a potential delay in fire‑alert transmission, prompting calls for tighter communication protocols between airlines, airport operators and the DGCA.
As Air India confronts growing pressure over safety reliability, industry observers emphasise that thorough technical reconstruction will be vital to restoring confidence in its Airbus and Boeing fleet systems.
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