Air India says flight's power generator catches fire at Delhi airport, grounds for checks

An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, Jul 7, 2017. Picture taken Jul 7, 2017. To match Analysis AIR INDIA-PRIVATISATION/ REUTERS/Amit Dave

Air India said on Tuesday it has grounded a passenger jet for checks after a power generator caught fire shortly after landing at India's capital city, New Delhi.

The aircraft's auxillary power unit (APU) caught fire when its passengers were getting off the aircraft, and was automatically shut down, a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement.

APU is an electrical power generator typically located at the rear of an aircraft. Its primary function is to start the main engines and power essential onboard systems while the airplane is parked at the airport.

Passengers "disembarked normally" and are safe but the aircraft, which was flying from Hong Kong, suffered some damage, the airline said. It did not elaborate on the damages caused to the plane.

The impacted flight is an Airbus AIR.PA A321, data from flightradar24 showed.

Air India said it has notified the regulator of the incident. India's aviation regulator was not immediately available for comment.

Air India has come under heightened scrutiny in the aftermath of one of its planes crashing fatally in the western Ahmedabad city in June, which killed 260 people.

An Air India jet veered off the runway as it landed during heavy rain in Mumbai on Monday, and suffered damages on the underside of one of its engines.