WATCH: Air India Delhi to San Francisco flight catches fire during maintenance work at IGI airport

The fire started in the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) while the aircraft was undergoing maintenance works.

Image: ANI

New Delhi: An Air India aircraft caught fire at Delhi Airport late Wednesday night. The Air India Delhi to San Francisco (Boeing 777) flight caught fire in Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) while the aircraft was still at the bay at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). As per news agency ANI, the fire started while repair of AC was going on. Air India has termed the fire as a “minor incident”. At the time of the repair-work, the plane was empty. The aircraft was bound for a flight to San Francisco.

Air India Delhi to San Francisco (Boeing 777) flight caught fire in Auxiliary Power Unit(APU). Incident reported yesterday night at Delhi airport. Fire started during AC repair. Air India terms it minor incident, plane was empty at the time of repair work, was doused immediately pic.twitter.com/3nQ1O8hYKn

— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2019

Fire units at the airport immediately got to work and doused the fire. The airline said in a statement: "An engine of an empty Boeing 777 aircraft of Air India shut down at the Delhi airport on Wednesday night during a technical inspection". Airport fire personnel then observed that black fumes were coming out of the engine's exhaust, following which they sprayed foam on it, it said. When an engineer was doing a routine technical examination of the empty aircraft (777) at the Delhi airport on Wednesday night, auto shutdown of the auxiliary power unit (APU) took place, the airline said. The APU is the smallest engine on an aircraft and situated at the tail of it. It provides the necessary power to start the main engines. Airport personnel observed black fumes from the APU exhaust and, believing it to be a fire hazard, sprayed APU and part of the fuselage with foam spray, the national carrier said. The APU was examined by opening its cowlings (cover). After opening the cover, "there was no traces of any burn or external damage noticed except for the minor oil leaks traces, which was normal," it said. Detailed inspection is going on, it added Air India was to launch its Mumbai-Colombo-Mumbai flight, but postponed the launch on Wednesday after serial blasts struck the Sri Lankan capital. ANI has shared the visual of the fire being doused on its Twitter handle. Watch video here:

#WATCH Air India Delhi to San Francisco (Boeing 777) flight caught fire in Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) yesterday at Delhi airport. Fire started during AC repair. Air India terms it minor incident, plane was empty at the time of repair work, fire was doused immediately. pic.twitter.com/Og790FVABE

— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2019