Air India Lying on Flight That Caught Fire, Says William Dalrymple

British author & historian, William Dalrymple, on the Air India flight which caught fire; accuses airline of lying

After the plane touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, smoke was seen from under carriage. (Photo: Twitter)

British historian and writer William Dalrymple, who was on the Air India flight which made an emergency landing in New Delhi on Monday, has accused the airline of “lying” and negligence. In a Facebook post, Dalrymple said the plane was on fire, which the airline was aware of in Khajuraho, prompting them to initially get the passengers off the aircraft.

Dalrymple also wrote that an engineer on the plane told him that a leaking valve was the cause of the fire.

The author’s comments raised questions on why a faulty aircraft was allowed to take off at all.

Over 150 passengers on board an Air India flight bound to New Delhi from Varanasi had a close shave as the Airbus 320 plane landed under emergency conditions in New Delhi due to a hydraulic failure.

After the plane touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, smoke was seen from under carriage and the pilot opted for evacuation, sources said on Monday. Airline sources maintained that the origin of the fire was a hydraulic failure and all passengers were evacuated safely, though some sustained injuries.