Another Air India Mishap: Delhi-bound flight AI315 catches fire; Aircraft grounded for investigation | Bharat News

New Delhi: Air India Airbus A321 (TV-TVG) assistant power unit (APU) caught fire at the Delhi Airport, when the passengers were coming out of the aircraft after coming from Hong Kong on Tuesday. The aircraft was damaged. Fortunately the passengers and the crew were unwell. The airline has reported this to the regulator. Sources say this may be due to the issue of maintenance.An AI spokesperson said: “On July 22, 2025, working from Hong Kong to Delhi, Flight AI 315 experienced an EPU fire shortly after landing and parking at the gate. The incident occurred when the passengers started disrupting, and the Apu was automatically closed according to the system design. The aircraft suffered some damage, however, passengers and crew members generally disintegrated, and are safe. The aircraft is designed for further investigation and the regulator is duly notified.,According to aviation website Skybrary, APU allows an aircraft to operate autonomous without dependence on ground support equipment such as ground power unit, an external air-conditioning unit, or high pressure air start carts. “ApoU is a small jet engine that is usually located in the tail cone of the aircraft, but in some cases, an engine is located in a naikel or wheel well. The aircraft can only be started using the aircraft battery (S) and once running, the AC and the engine will provide electricity to the aircraft system.”On both land and inflights globally, there are examples of upu failure of the fire. In June 2016, a fully filled Airbus A330 cabin of a foreign airline on the ground in London Heathro was surrounded by smoke and an emergency withdrawn was started. Investigations found that smoke was produced when the EPU seal failed and hot oil entered the bleed air supply.In July 2013, passengers still felt an air France Boeing 777–300 in Paris CDG and felt a burning odor and then thin smoke in the cabin. The aircraft was evacuated.