Tense moments were witnessed on Tuesday afternoon at Terminal 3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport when a shuttle bus operated by the Air India suddenly caught fire in the apron area near a parking bay.
The bus was on its way to pick up crew members of an Air India flight from Hong Kong to Delhi.
The incident occurred at 12.25 pm near the C-34 aircraft parking pier. The bus, registered as DL 1P D 3975 and operated by Air India SATS (AISATS), was reportedly powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
No casualty has been reported as the Air India ground handling company's bus was vacant at the time of the incident.
Visuals of the incident showed that the rear end of the AISATS bus, parked in the vicinity of an Air India aircraft, engulfed in flames.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Vichitra Veer, in a statement, said the bus was not carrying any passengers or luggage at the time of the incident.
The incident was reported at 1 pm to the IGI Airport Police Station, following which fire tenders, local police, and personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) rushed to the spot, the police official said. "Only the driver was present when the fire broke out. The blaze was promptly brought under control by fire officials. No injuries or casualties have been reported," DCP Veer said. The vehicle, used for ferrying passengers on the airport premises, sustained damage in the incident, according to the police. The fire was extinguished within a couple of minutes. The bus was stationary and fully vacant at the time of the incident, Delhi airport operator DIAL said.
According to sources in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), passengers had deboarded some time earlier, and the bus operated by Air India SATS, a ground-handling service-was heading only to fetch the crew. "The bus was stationary, but the engine had not been switched off. The engine, located in the rear portion of the CNG bus, caught fire all of a sudden, though the cause is not yet known. The driver managed to escape, and the airport fire service doused the blaze. Almost 30 percent of the bus was burnt," said a source. The crew remained inside the aircraft, and no one stepped out during the incident. "The CISF cordoned off the area," the source added.
AISATS is the ground handling arm of the Tata Group-owned Air India. It is a joint venture between Air India and SATS Group.
In a statement, AISATS said an investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire, and they is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities.
The area where the fire happened was briefly cordoned off as a precautionary measure and a detailed examination of the bus is being carried out to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Further investigation is underway. The DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd), in a post on X, said, "In a stray incident, a bus operated by one of the Ground handlers caught fire around noon today. Our expert ARFF team on the ground immediately swung into action and extinguished the fire within a couple of minutes."
"There were no injuries/ casualties. All operations continue to be normal. Safety of our passengers and staff remains paramount to us," it added.
AISATS, in the statement, said an unfortunate fire incident involving one of the coaches was reported at the Delhi airport. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time, and no casualties were reported, it added.