Hong Kong-Delhi Air India flight's auxiliary power unit catches fire after landing, aircraft grounded for probe

The fire was detected while passengers were exiting the plane.

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

This is the latest worrisome incident for Air India that has received nine notices in six months for five safety violations, junior Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament Monday.

Air India's safety standards have come under scrutiny after the June 12 Boeing Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, in which 260 people died and 81 were injured.

Of the 242 people on board the Ahmedabad to London plane, only one man had survived. The rest of the casualties took place on the ground as the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel.

Soon after, civil aviation watchdog DGCA had ordered inspections on the Air India fleet of Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft.

Air India on Tuesday said it has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet.

Boeing 737 aircraft are part of the fleet of Air India Express, Air India’s low cost subsidiary. With this, the two airlines have complied with the directives of the DGCA issued on July 14, 2025.

"In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism. Air India had started voluntary inspections on 12 July and completed them within the prescribed time limit set by the DGCA. The same has been communicated to the regulator," said the airline in a statement.

"Air India remains committed to the safety of passengers and crew members," it added.