After Delhi Airport incident, GHIAL reassures flyers about safety steps

Hyderabad: The Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said that the government would take up thorough checks at all the airports that come under the Centre’s purview and ensure that there was a requirement for an independent body for this. The Union Minister made these comments after visiting the Indira Gandhi International Airport after the incident of collapse of the canopy at Terminal-1. “We will conduct a thorough check on all the airports that come under our purview...we will make the necessary report and see if there is a requirement for an independent body for this,” said Ram Mohan Naidu.

The Minister said that instructions were given to the Delhi International Airport Limited to do a verification and inspection from their side. “We are not leaving it up to them. From the Ministry, we have the DGCA, which looks after the safety aspect, which will be supervising this inspection and will submit its report. From the ministry side, I can assure you that this is taken as a serious issue, not just in this airport but all across the country, with similar structures," the Minister said.

The Minister expressed condolences to the loss of life in the tragic incident, and assured of taking care of the four people who were injured. The Minister said that as soon as the incident came to their notice, they reacted immediately and sent the emergency response team, safety team, CISF and NDRF teams for a thorough inspection to ensure no other casualties were there. The Minister further said that they have informed the airlines that passengers should not face any inconvenience. The passengers would get full refunds and other than that if they want to travel from the alternative routes, they will be assisted.

Meanwhile, the GMR Hyderabad International Airport authorities said that they go through the regular audits and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and would continue to follow these in future.

The GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said that due to heavy rains and winds through the night in Delhi, a canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) partially collapsed around 5 am this morning. While the cause for the collapse was being assessed, the primary cause seems to be the continued heavy rainfall over the past few hours. Further, Delhi Airport is extending all support to the impacted individuals and the family of the deceased and has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased, and Rs 3 lakh each to those who received minor injuries. A technical committee was formed by DIAL to investigate the cause of the incident and will give the report as soon as possible.