An Air India A321 plane's auxiliary power unit caught fire after landing at the Delhi airport. All passengers and crew members are safe. The aircraft has been grounded for investigations.
'Who gave the Tatas the right to discontinue technically sound practices related to safety and security?'
'In those 10 seconds, they even made a MAYDAY call -- which is only issued in case of a serious, imminent emergency.'
Its association with India is over 70 years old and spans both civil and military aviation. The Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft used by the air force beginning the 1940s and the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft flown by Air India, both had Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines. The Indian Air Force's present-day, heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster III and the yet-to-be-inducted C-295 planes, too, have P&W power plants.
Last week, governments across the world grounded the Dreamliner while Boeing halted deliveries after a problem with a lithium-ion battery on a second 787 plane, flown by All Nippon Airways Co, forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in western Japan.
'The equipment that you make for us must be the best in the world so that it complements the Indian soldier who is without doubt the very best in the world.'
The C919 - a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft seating up to 174 people - is similar in size to the Airbus 320.
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