Delhi airport’s primary domestic terminal is expected to remain closed for several weeks after a canopy at Terminal 1 (T-1) collapsed last week, according to sources cited by Reuters on Monday.

Last Friday, a section of the roof, canopy, and several beams at Terminal 1 collapsed due to heavy rains in the national capital, resulting in one fatality and eight injuries. This incident also led to the cancellation and rescheduling of several flights.

Delhi Airport comprises three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. The recently expanded Terminal 1, with a capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually, is used by budget carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet for domestic flights.

The temporary closure of Terminal 1 is expected to increase the load on the other two terminals, which also handle domestic flights. According to a source at GMR Airports Infrastructure, which operates the airport, the closure could last a few weeks if the damage is minor, but it may extend beyond a month if the problem is more severe. The source emphasized that the terminal will not reopen until all necessary checks are completed.

GMR, in a statement, said it was “too early” to determine when Terminal 1 could resume operations.

Delhi airport handles 1,400 flights daily across its three terminals. Flight operations from Terminal 1 were already limited to less than 15% of the total as they were gradually resuming after recent expansions and refurbishments.

Over the past three days, approximately 21,690 passengers from IndiGo and 925 from SpiceJet have been affected, with around 90 flights moved to other terminals. Refunds have been processed for 9,972 passengers, including 9,431 from IndiGo and 541 from SpiceJet, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu visited the Delhi airport’s Operations Control Centre (AOCC) today to oversee ongoing operations. He held a meeting with senior officials from various aviation bodies, including the DGCA, BCAS, and DIAL, to manage the transition of flights from Terminal 1 to Terminals 2 and 3 and ensure smooth operations.

On the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Naidu stated, “Inspected the AOCC at IGI Airport. I convened with senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, BCAS, DIAL, and airline operators to review current operations and passenger handling following the transition of flights from T1 to T2 and T3.”

On June 28, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) suspended all flight operations from Terminal 1 until further notice after a canopy collapse caused by torrential rains resulted in one death and six injuries. While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, a DIAL spokesperson indicated that the persistent heavy rainfall over the past few hours is likely to blame.

DIAL has established a technical committee to investigate the incident and will release a report as soon as possible. “As a precautionary measure, all flight operations from Terminal 1 have been suspended until further notice. Airlines will reschedule these flights to operate from Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 until the affected areas are restored,” the spokesperson said.

DIAL is collaborating with various agencies, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), to assess the situation and resume operations.

Terminal 1 is used for domestic flights operated by IndiGo and SpiceJet. Earlier in the day, IndiGo announced on social media that all flights from Delhi airport’s Terminal 1 were canceled until 12 a.m. on June 29, with arriving flights being redirected to Terminal 2 or Terminal 3. SpiceJet also stated that all affected flights departing from Terminal 1 are being reallocated to Terminal 3, and passengers have been informed via SMS and email.

According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung, the city’s main weather station, recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall, while Lodhi Road saw 192.8 mm, Mausam Bhavan 150.4 mm, Ridge 106.6 mm, Palam 106.6 mm, and Ayanagar 66.3 mm in the past 20 to 30 hours. The IMD classifies very heavy rain as rainfall between 124.5 and 244.4 mm in a day and confirmed later in the morning that the monsoon had arrived, with the downpour starting around 3 a.m. on Friday.

On Friday, the INDIA bloc will introduce adjournment motions on NEET in both houses of Parliament.

This decision was made during a meeting of the INDIA bloc’s floor leaders held today at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the national capital.

Sources indicated that if a discussion on the NEET issue is not permitted, the INDIA bloc leaders will stage a protest inside the House.

“Several issues were discussed today in the meeting. There will be a debate on all the issues in the Parliament, including the President’s address and the election of the speaker,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told ANI.

DMK MP T Siva stated, “We will give notices (in Parliament) on the NEET issue tomorrow.”

Hanuman Beniwal, President of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, said, “The opposition is united and will raise issues of NEET, Agniveer, inflation, unemployment, and MSP in Parliament.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi added that all the critical issues facing the country will be raised in Parliament.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, met Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and expressed his displeasure over the reference to Emergency made by the chair, calling it “clearly political” and avoidable.

“It was a courtesy call. The Speaker declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition, and afterward, he, along with other INDIA bloc partner leaders, met the Speaker,” he said.

Earlier today, President Droupadi Murmu criticized the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 under the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the Emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers,” the president said while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament.