Delhi airport roof collapse: One month’s closure for Terminal 1 likely

Delhi airport roof collapse: Terminal 1, where a canopy collapsed amid heavy showers on Friday, leading to the death of an individual and injury of few more, could be closed for as long as a month, as per reports. 

According to a report in The Economic Times, the revamped Terminal 1 could take as long as a month to restart operations as it stares at a delay in boosting capacity due to the incident. Delhi Airport was preparing to start operations at a new terminal by middle of July, but now permissions would be granted only after a thorough examination, the report said. 

Delhi Airport is undergoing a Rs 8,000-crore expansion project, under which the structure of Terminal 1, which had separate departure and arrival terminals, was to be integrated to build a new terminal. The roof collapse is expected to delay the operations.

All the flights, in the meantime, will be accommodated at terminals 2 and 3. No flights have been delayed or cancelled, said a person in the know. 

Meanwhile, a team from an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is looking into the probable cause of the incident of the canopy collapse on Friday. 

Terminal 2, which is the smallest terminal in Delhi Airport, is reportedly now choked by flights and passengers, as 72 flights of IndiGo have been moved there from Terminal 1. The hectic schedule is also expected to impact the on-time performance of airlines as it is now taking a long time for passengers to board the flight. 

Long queues have also been reported in the check-in counters, security area, and the waiting area.