Delhi airport T1 closure: 22,615 passengers affected, 9,972 refunds processed

On Friday, the roof collapse led to the cancellation of flights, but no further cancellations took place over the weekend as operations were successfully transitioned to Terminal 2 (T2) and Terminal 3 (T3) of the airport.

The civil aviation ministry has reported that as many as 22,615 passengers were affected by the closure of Delhi Airport Terminal 1 (T1) following the roof collapse incident on Friday (June 28). The ministry also mentioned that refunds have been processed for 9,972 passengers booked on IndiGo (9,431) and SpiceJet (541) flights, with 196 refunds still pending.

On Friday, the roof collapse led to the cancellation of flights, but no further cancellations took place over the weekend as operations were successfully transitioned to Terminal 2 (T2) and Terminal 3 (T3) of the airport.

Civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu conducted an inspection of the Airport Operations Control Centre and held meetings with officials from the ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), and airline operators.

These discussions aimed to review the operations and passenger handling following the shift from T1 to T2 and T3.

The aviation ministry's statement highlighted a complete assessment, focusing on ensuring smooth operations and deploying additional manpower to manage the increased passenger flow.

The DGCA provided a briefing on the activation of war rooms to facilitate close coordination between DIAL and the airlines. Minister Naidu urged all stakeholders to maintain rigorous standards to ensure seamless operations and prioritise passenger safety.

Flight operations at T1 were indefinitely suspended after the roof collapse, which occurred amid heavy rains and winds, resulting in one fatality and eight injuries.

DIAL has formed a technical committee to investigate the incident, which is primarily attributed to the heavy rainfall. The airport authority also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for each of the injured.