New Delhi: Flight operations have been suspended at Delhi airport's Terminal 1, which is used for domestic flights, till further notice following a roof collapse on Friday early morning that has left one dead and at least five others injured.
The incident happened at around 5 am at the departure area of Terminal 1 (T1) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) amid heavy rains in the national capital.
The civil aviation ministry on Friday said heavy rain has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport T1.
"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," the ministry said in a post on X.
Sources in the know said flight departures have been suspended till 2 pm.
T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport -- which has three terminals T1, T2 and T3 -- handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.
According to the sources, the airport operator -- DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) -- is looking at temporarily shifting operations from T1 to T2 and T3, they added.
The sources also said that soon after the incident at around 5 am, it was decided to suspend the flight departures while passengers who were already inside the terminal took their flights.
The departures were completely suspended at around 7:30 am, they added.
"Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old departure forecourt of Delhi airport's Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 am. There are injuries reported, and emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected," a DIAL spokesperson said in a statement.
As a result of this incident, the spokesperson said all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as a safety measure.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Group, is the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
"We sincerely regret this disruption and apologise for any inconvenience caused." the spokesperson said.
In a post on X, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that he was personally monitoring the situation and the injured people have been shifted to hospital.
"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," he said.
An IndiGo spokesperson said flight operations are impacted due to structural damage to T 1 due to adverse weather conditions.
"This has led to flight cancellations at Delhi as passengers are not able to enter the terminal. Passengers already inside the terminal will be able to board their planned flights, but those with flights later in the day will be offered alternatives," the airline said in a statement.
The airline also said the unplanned situation has led to operations across the network being impacted.
"Customers are advised to keep track of and confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport," it said.
In a post on X, SpiceJet said flights have been cancelled as T1 will remain partially closed for operations until further notice.
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