Delhi airport's T1 shuts down for a month for revamp after roof collapse

All flights have been shifted to Terminals 2 and 3, with additional measures implemented to manage the increased passenger flow

In a significant setback to Delhi Airport’s expansion plans, the highly anticipated operations at the newly revamped Terminal 1 (T1) will be delayed by more than a month, reported The Economic Times (ET).

The delay comes in the wake of an incident last Friday, when heavy rain caused a roof collapse at the old terminal, resulting in the death of one person.

Originally slated to commence by mid-July, the operational launch of the new terminal is now contingent on a thorough structural examination, which may extend beyond a month. “In the meantime, all flights have been accommodated at terminals 2 and 3,” an official, who wished to remain anonymous, told ET.

Despite the disruption, a spokesperson for Delhi Airport confirmed that no flights have been delayed or cancelled. A cross-functional team is actively assessing the situation and liaising with various stakeholders to ensure passenger safety and convenience, said the official.

Terminal 2, the smallest terminal at Delhi Airport, was initially planned to resume operations once the new terminal opened. However, following the incident, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) team is investigating the probable cause of the roof collapse, which also damaged the canopy and several beams.

Expansion creates congestion challenges

As the busiest airport in the country, handling over 1,100 flights daily, Delhi Airport has recently completed an Rs 8,000 crore expansion project. This expansion aims to increase the airport's capacity to approximately 100 million passengers per annum. The project includes the integration of Terminal 1’s existing departure and arrival buildings into a new terminal, doubling its capacity to 40 million passengers annually.

In response to the incident, as many as 72 IndiGo flights have been shifted from Terminal 1, with nearly half relocating to Terminal 2. While Terminal 2 can handle around 1,400 passengers per hour, the influx of new flights has led to congestion, according to airline officials. “The situation at the airport now resembles the winter fog period, with more passengers to manage at any given time than originally planned,” said one official.

Before the accident, the airport had already begun the process of shifting flight operations from Terminal 1. 

Measures to manage passenger surge

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu met with officials from the Central Industrial Security Force, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Sunday to discuss managing the increased passenger flow.

To address the surge, additional manpower and X-ray machines have been deployed, and airlines have been advised to reschedule flights to non-peak hours. Currently, Delhi Airport experiences peak hours from 8-9 am, 1-2 pm, 4-5 pm, and 8-9 pm. An airline executive suggested that a few flights might need to be cancelled to reduce the load.

“There is a severe impact on on-time performance of airlines as it is taking a long time to process boarding of passengers. Due to limited space in the apron, aircraft are disembarking passengers in T2, then taxi out and park in T3,” the executive noted. “We remain committed to maintaining flight operations at Terminal 3 and Terminal 2, while operations at Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended," he affirmed.