A fire broke out in the grass within a radius of four to five metree near the tarmac shortly after an Air India flight from New Delhi landed at the Patna airport on Friday.
Airport Director Atul Dixit told PTI that the fire broke out when the Boeing aircraft was in the parking bay after the passengers alighted.
The fire brigade swung into action immediately and doused the blaze within a few minutes and there was no damage to the aircraft, he said.
Another airport official said on condition of anonymity that a spark flew out of from the rear of the plane and ignited the grass. "Thank god it happened only after the passengers alighted from the plane," the official said.
"The engine of the plane is being thoroughly checked," Dixit said. An inquiry has been ordered by the Director General of Civil Aviation, he said. Air India's return flight from Patna to New Delhi IC 410 was delayed as a result, he said.