NEW DELHI: The auxiliary power unit (APU) located in the tail section of an Air India Airbus A321 (TV-TVG) caught fire at Delhi airport when passengers were disembarking from the aircraft after its arrival from Hong Kong on Tuesday. The aircraft, which had about 170 people on board, was damaged. Luckily passengers and crew were unhurt. The airline has reported this to the regulator. Sources say this could be due to a maintenance issue.
An AI spokesperson said: “Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on July 22, 2025, experienced an APU fire shortly after it had landed and parked 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 investigations and the regulator has been duly notified.”
According to aviation website Skybrary, APU allows an aircraft to operate autonomously without reliance on ground support equipment such as a ground power unit, an external air-conditioning unit or a high pressure air start cart. “The APU is a small jet engine which is normally located in the tail cone of the aircraft but, in some cases, is located in an engine nacelle or in the wheel well. The APU can be started utilising only the aircraft battery(s) and, once running, will provide electrical power to aircraft systems as well as bleed air for AC and for engine start,” the website says.
There have been instances of APU failure of APU fire both on ground and inflight globally. In June 2016, the cabin of a fully loaded Airbus A330 of a foreign airline on ground at London Heathrow was engulfed with smoke and an emergency evacuation had to be initiated. Investigation found that the smoke had been caused when an APU seal failed and hot oil entered the bleed air supply.
In July 2013, passengers still boarding an Air France Boeing 777-300 at Paris CDG felt a burning smell and then thin smoke in the cabin. The aircraft was evacuated.
An AI spokesperson said: “Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on July 22, 2025, experienced an APU fire shortly after it had landed and parked 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 investigations and the regulator has been duly notified.”
Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 22 July 2025, experienced an auxiliary power unit (APU) fire shortly after it had landed and parked at the gate. The incident occurred while passengers had begun disembarking, and the APU was automatically shut down as per… pic.twitter.com/j32CC7P3Zk
— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2025
According to aviation website Skybrary, APU allows an aircraft to operate autonomously without reliance on ground support equipment such as a ground power unit, an external air-conditioning unit or a high pressure air start cart. “The APU is a small jet engine which is normally located in the tail cone of the aircraft but, in some cases, is located in an engine nacelle or in the wheel well. The APU can be started utilising only the aircraft battery(s) and, once running, will provide electrical power to aircraft systems as well as bleed air for AC and for engine start,” the website says.
There have been instances of APU failure of APU fire both on ground and inflight globally. In June 2016, the cabin of a fully loaded Airbus A330 of a foreign airline on ground at London Heathrow was engulfed with smoke and an emergency evacuation had to be initiated. Investigation found that the smoke had been caused when an APU seal failed and hot oil entered the bleed air supply.
In July 2013, passengers still boarding an Air France Boeing 777-300 at Paris CDG felt a burning smell and then thin smoke in the cabin. The aircraft was evacuated.
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