A portion of the roof at Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport collapsed on Friday, June 28th, at around 5 am, resulting in one death and injuries to six other people. The incident occurred amidst heavy rainfall that has been affecting the region. As a consequence, airline operations have been shifted to Terminals 2 and 3, while Terminal 1 remains closed for takeoffs and landings. Domestic airlines like Indigo and SpiceJet, which typically operate from Terminal 1, have cancelled and rescheduled flights. Indigo cancelled over 80 flights, and SpiceJet cancelled around 15 flights. The airport normally handles approximately 190-200 arrivals and departures daily, with a capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), has advised all airlines to monitor airfares to and from Delhi and take appropriate measures to prevent any abnormal surge in prices. The ministry has also stated that cancellations and rescheduling due to the incident can be done without penalty charges.
The heavy rains have been blamed for the roof collapse. The National Weather Office reported that the Delhi airport area received 148.5 millimeters (5.85 inches) of rain over three hours, exceeding the average rainfall for June 2024. The Safdarjung Weather Station recorded an astounding 228.1 mm (9 inches) of rainfall in a 24-hour period, marking the highest single-day rainfall in June in over 88 years. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a notice urging airlines to refrain from increasing ticket prices following the incident. This measure aims to prevent any potential exploitation of the situation by airlines.
