NEW DELHI: In wake of the canopy collapse incident at Terminal 1 of Delhi airport on Friday morning, all flight operations from Terminal 1 are suspended till further notice, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation. "Heavy rain in early morning today has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi Airport Terminal 1. As a result of which flights to & from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for the smooth operation of the flights," read the statement from the ministry.
However, the arrival and departure of flights from Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 are fully operational. On the other hand, the shuttle service from Delhi Aerocity Metro station to Terminal 1- IGI Airport has also been suspended.
Apart from that, because of the heavy downpour in the city, entry and exit are closed at Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector – 25 Metro station.
Notably, one person has been reported dead after a portion of the canopy, at Delhi Airport's Terminal 1, collapsed today due to heavy rains. The incident occurred when Delhi-NCR was hit by a spell of heavy rains on Friday.
"The shed of the airport collapsed, resulting in 8 persons trapped. The injured were rescued and d to Medanta Hospital by PCR/CATS. One trapped person was taken out in dead condition", ADO Ravinder stated.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) IGI Airport, Usha Rangnani detailing the incident confirmed the death of a person and said legal action will be taken. "At around 5 am, the shed outside Terminal 1 of IGIA (domestic airport), spanning from Departure Gate No. 1 to Gate No. 2, collapsed, in which around 4 vehicles have damaged and around 6 persons have been injured and one person has died. All injured persons are stable. Delhi police, fire service, CISF & NDRF teams are present on the spot. Legal action is being taken," said Rangnani.
Passengers who reached Terminal 1 had to face problems after flight operations were suspended. "I have a flight at 9 am. I came to know that the structure above (canopy) has collapsed here. Some flights have been cancelled. They (officials) are now asking us to go to Terminal 2," he told ANI. Yash, another passenger at Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport, told ANI, "I was going to Bengaluru; I had a flight at 8:15 am. Here the roof collapsed around 5:15 am… The Airport Authority has no answer…"
Following the incident, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that he is personally monitoring the incident and the rescue operation is still underway. "Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at the site. Also advised the airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1. The injured have been evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing," Ram Mohan Naidu said in a post on X