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.
