NEW DELHI: The sudden capacity crunch at India’s biggest airport with operation suspended at its mishap-stricken T1 has led to aviation authorities advising against any “steep” hike in airfares to and from the capital. This weekend was expected to see very high traffic as summer break is ending and Delhi & NCR schools start reopening July 1 onwards.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed airlines to either make alternate travel arrangements for passengers or give full refunds within seven days.
“In view of the unfortunate incident at Terminal T1D IGIA, Delhi, all airlines are advised to monitor any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Delhi and take necessary action regarding the same. Further, cancellations and rescheduling of flights due to the incident may be done without penal charges,” the ministry said in a social media post. Union aviation minister Rammohan Naidu has urged airlines to “maintain fare stability to avoid passenger inconvenience”.
The ministry has asked structural engineers from IIT Delhi to “immediately assess the incident” and “further examination will be decided” on the basis of the preliminary findings of this probe. “We will conduct a thorough probe to know who is responsible for it. This is a technical issue. I cannot say at the moment what and how it happened. Technical experts will probe and give a report and then we will take decision,” minister Naidu said after visiting the site on Friday morning.
While blaming “continued heavy rainfall” for this massive structural collapse, the GMR-backed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) says it has formed a technical committee to “investigate the cause and give a report as soon as possible.” The airport operator has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased, a cab operator, and Rs 3 lakh to each of the injured.
Friday also saw the a portion of Jabalpur Airport’s fabric canopy collapse following heavy rains, crushing a car. Naidu has directed Airports Authority of India (AAI) to conduct a thorough inspection of structural strength at all major and minor airports. “These inspections must be completed within the next 2-5 days, and the reports are to be submitted to the ministry of civil aviation. 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 a statement.
“In view of the unfortunate incident at Terminal T1D IGIA, Delhi, all airlines are advised to monitor any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Delhi and take necessary action regarding the same. Further, cancellations and rescheduling of flights due to the incident may be done without penal charges,” the ministry said in a social media post. Union aviation minister Rammohan Naidu has urged airlines to “maintain fare stability to avoid passenger inconvenience”.
The ministry has asked structural engineers from IIT Delhi to “immediately assess the incident” and “further examination will be decided” on the basis of the preliminary findings of this probe. “We will conduct a thorough probe to know who is responsible for it. This is a technical issue. I cannot say at the moment what and how it happened. Technical experts will probe and give a report and then we will take decision,” minister Naidu said after visiting the site on Friday morning.
While blaming “continued heavy rainfall” for this massive structural collapse, the GMR-backed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) says it has formed a technical committee to “investigate the cause and give a report as soon as possible.” The airport operator has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased, a cab operator, and Rs 3 lakh to each of the injured.
Friday also saw the a portion of Jabalpur Airport’s fabric canopy collapse following heavy rains, crushing a car. Naidu has directed Airports Authority of India (AAI) to conduct a thorough inspection of structural strength at all major and minor airports. “These inspections must be completed within the next 2-5 days, and the reports are to be submitted to the ministry of civil aviation. 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 a statement.