A day after the canopy collapse incident at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, in which one person was killed and eight others were injured on Friday morning, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced on Saturday that operations at Terminal 1 will remain suspended till further notice.
Terminal 1 handles domestic flights, including those by IndiGo and SpiceJet. All operations have been temporarily shifted to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.
“Flight operations at Delhi airport are normal and operating from Terminal-2 & 3 only. All flights from Terminal-1 have been shifted to Terminal-3 and Terminal-2,” Delhi airport said in a post on X.
IndiGo issued an advisory on Friday night. “6ETravelAdvisory: #DelhiAirport Terminal 1 update: Flights originally scheduled to operate to/from Terminal 1, Delhi after 0000hrs (midnight) have been shifted to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3,” the airline said.
“The communication regarding terminal information is being communicated either via WhatsApp, SMS or Email. Please check flight status before heading to the airport,” it added.
SpiceJet issued an advisory on Friday evening. “All SpiceJet flights to and from Delhi dated 29th June’24 will depart/arrive from Terminal 3. Necessary information has been communicated to all the passengers via SMS/Email. The passengers are requested to ensure sufficient travel time and keep a check on their flight status,” the airline said in a post on X on Friday.
A passenger at the airport urged the government to resolve the situation quickly. “We are facing time issues. We want the government to resolve these issues as soon as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, DIAL announced that a technical committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the canopy collapse at Terminal 1.
In a statement issued on Friday, the DIAL said the technical committee will give the report as soon as possible. “Due to heavy rains and winds through the night in Delhi, a canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) partially collapsed around 5 am this morning. While the cause for the collapse is being assessed, the primary cause seems to be the continued heavy rainfall over the past few hours,” the DIAL said.
The statement added, “Rescue operations were launched immediately by the Delhi Airport Emergency Response Team including Fire Fighting, Medical Team and Operations, who provided all necessary support and assistance. Evacuation of passengers and all other individuals from T1 was the first priority and complete evacuation has been undertaken.”
DIAL further said that it is working with all relevant agencies, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), to assess the situation and restore operations.
The statement also noted that four vehicles were damaged in the incident, and the eight individuals who received minor injuries were provided immediate medical assistance at the Medanta Centre at Delhi Airport. The injured were later shifted to ESI Hospital and Indian Spinal Injury Centre (later referred to Safdarjung Hospital) for further medical supervision as required.
Unfortunately, one fatality was reported in the incident.
DIAL has extended support to the affected individuals and the family of the deceased, announcing a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh each to those who sustained minor injuries.