Delhi Aiport Narrowly Escapes Major Safety Breach as Air India Bus Catches Fire Metres Away from Parked Aircraft

A bus assigned to Air India airlines at Delhi Airport caught fire on the morning of October 28. The incident occurred in the Terminal 3 of the airport. Fortunately, no passengers were present on the bus at the time of the incident apart from the driver, who was evacuated on time and did not sustain any injuries. The incident took place in the afternoon, and the area was cordoned off soon after.

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The incident has not only cast doubts on passenger safety but has also caused massive delays and inconvenience at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, which usually stays busy at the time of the day when the incident occurred. Several domestic and international flights had to wait over 2 hours before their takeoff, and flights that were supposed to arrive on the runway circled in the air for a long time before they could be cleared for landing. Additionally, there were multiple aircraft parked in the close vicinity of the flaming bus, further complicating the situation, but any further accident has been averted and there have been no reports of the any aircraft suffering any damage due to the fire.

While Air India has not released any official statement about the incident, it has begun a probe and has spoken to the ground staff present at the time of the incident. The airline will submit a preliminary report to the DGCA shortly, and a more detailed report will also be submitted in 1-2 days. Airport development and maintenance giants GMR are also looking into the matter.

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Accident of willful negligence?

According to early reports, the bus involved in the incident does not belong to a particular airline but was rented out by a third party to various companies. At the time of the incident, it was stationary, and although the reason behind the fire has not been confirmed, it has been found that the vehicle was an old model and was CNG-operated, unlike the modern electrical buses that are recommended by regulatory bodies for safety. Despite Air India having access to a fresh lot of electric buses, the use of CNG-operated vehicles has raised questions about the lack of safety protocols followed by Air India. 

Talking about the incident, Group Captain GP Bajpai, Aviation Expert, expressed safety concerns while talking to the Republic. He said, “It is an extremely dangerous situation. Never in my life have I seen such a massive fire so close to another aircraft. This is a complete lapse on the part of the Airport Authority and the ground staff of Air India. Where is the fire safety department? They should have been on the scene immediately. There is just so much that could have gone wrong. All the concerned agencies should look into the matter.”

Air India's deteriorating safety track record 

Following the tragic Air India crash earlier this year that claimed 260 lives, the airline has been embroiled in several incidents that have consistently brought its commitment to safety into question. The pilot body FIP had also urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ground all of their Boeing 787 aircraft following 2 snag incidents in less than a week. Be it the Nagpur bird strike or lapses in regulatory compliance, Air India is rapidly losing trust and air safety rankings as more incidents come to light.