Govt ropes in CBRI to advise operators on structural aspects of airports

The government has roped in the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to advise airport operators on the structural aspects of airports, according to a senior official.

The move comes against the backdrop of the collapse of a canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) at the Delhi airport in June. During the same month, there were also similar incidents at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports.

Following the Delhi airport incident, the ministry decided to conduct a study of the structural aspects of T1 while state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) was asked to carry out an inspection of the structural strength of all minor and major airports.

The senior civil aviation ministry official told PTI that Roorkee-based CBRI has been roped in for advising airport operators on the various structural aspects of the airports.

The ministry is also planning to organise a technical workshop by CBRI for the airport operators.

The official said the ministry is examining the report of the study done by structural engineers from IIT Delhi related to the collapsed portion of Terminal 1 (T1) of the Delhi airport. The study of the remaining part of the old T1 is going on, the official said.

On June 28, a canopy at the old departure forecourt of T1 partially collapsed amid heavy rains resulting in the death of a person and causing injuries to nine people.

In the wake of the incident, the ministry had said structural engineers from IIT Delhi had been asked to immediately assess the terminal.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, also the country's largest airport, has three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3.

Separately, sources in the know said a team from IIT Madras is conducting a detailed structural study of T2 and T3 for the Delhi airport operator DIAL.

Query sent to DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) seeking comments on the study remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, the structural study of airports under the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) is in progress.

After the June 28 incident, AAI was directed to issue a circular to all minor and major airports to conduct a thorough inspection of their structural strength.

"Based on the findings, the need for increased safety measures and the development of long term policies to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents will be formulated at priority," the ministry said in June.

On July 22, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told Rajya Sabha that kerb area canopy made of tensile fabric, a non-structural element, tore at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports on June 27 and 29, respectively.

AAI has initiated investigations to determine the root cause of incidents at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports, he had said.

Currently, there are around 157 operational airports, heliports and waterdromes. The count is set to increase in the coming years with more air connectivity to meet rising passenger demand.