Delhi airport Terminal 1 suspends operations indefinitely after fatal roof collapse

Flight operations have been suspended at Delhi Airport's Terminal 1, which is used for domestic flights, till further notice after a roof collapse, leading to the death of one person and injuries to eight people.

"All Indigo and SpiceJet flights departing from and arriving at T1 are being rescheduled till further notice. Indigo flights will operate from T2 & T3, and SpiceJet flights from T3. We request all passengers scheduled to travel on these flights to contact Indigo and SpiceJet for further updates," the Delhi airport said in a statement at 2 pm.

The airport also requested passengers to check on weather conditions to avoid congestion on roads due to the heavy rainfall in Delhi.

In another update at 3.45pm, the airport said that all Indigo fights are now departing from T3 and T2 till 11pm.

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“All other flights operating from Terminal 3 and 2 are fully operational. For regular updates, visit our website or follow social handles,” the Delhi airport said.

Delhi airport T1 roof collapse

The forecourt’s canopy at Terminal 1 of the Delhi's IGI collapsed early Friday following heavy rain. One person died and six other people were injured in the incident.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said three fire tenders were rushed to Terminal-1 (T1) of the airport after a call about the incident was received around 5:30 am.

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Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu visited Terminal-1 (T1) to take stock of the situation. He said he was monitoring the situation and the injured had been hospitalised.

The Delhi International Airport management has set up a committee to probe the roof collapse.

“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,” a DIAL spokesperson said in a statement.

“As per the Indian Meteorological Department, Delhi Safdarjung recorded massive 228.1mm of rains in last 24 hours (mainly in the early morning hours of today). This is the highest 24 hours rain in Delhi in June after 1936, the average rainfall in the area in last 30 years is 75.2 mm,” the spokesperson added.