Govt asks airlines to ensure no abnormal surge in airfares amid Delhi airport incident, sets up ‘war room’

The ministry of civil aviation on Friday asked airlines to ensure that there is no abnormal surge in airfares for flights to and from Delhi after operations were suspended from Terminal 1 due to a roof collapse incident.

The ministry also said that it has established a ‘war room’ to ensure a full refund of cancelled flights. The decisions were taken after Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu held a high-level review meeting with key officials.

The operations were suspended till further notice after the roof collapsed due to heavy rainfall at around 5 am at the airport, leading to the death of one person and injuries to eight people.

With T1, which handles IndiGo and SpiceJet's domestic flight operations, shut, there have been flight cancellations, and operations have been shifted to T2 and T3 temporarily.

While Indigo flights operate from T2 & T3, SpiceJet flights operate from T3.

Also Read | Find out the number of flights impacted as Delhi airport Terminal 1 suspends operations

Against this backdrop, a senior official told PTI that the ministry has asked airlines to ensure that airfares for flights to and from Delhi do not surge abnormally.

In a series of posts on X, the ministry said airlines have been advised that cancellations and rescheduling of flights due to the incident may be done without penal charges.

"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," it said.

It also said that the war room will ensure a full refund of cancelled flights, which will be processed within 7 days. The ministry has also directed the Airports Authority of India to issue a circular to all minor and major airports to inspect structural strength thoroughly.

Also Read | Delhi airport forms committee to probe Terminal 1 roof collapse

About 89 flights are scheduled to depart from Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 tomorrow, data provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, exclusively to HT shows that 89 flights are scheduled to depart from Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 tomorrow. The number is 90 for Sunday.

Delhi airport roof collapse
 

The forecourt’s canopy at Terminal 1 of the Delhi's IGI collapsed early Friday following heavy rain. One person died and six other people were injured in the incident.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said three fire tenders were rushed to Terminal-1 (T1) of the airport after receiving a call about the incidentaround 5:30 am.

The deceased was identified as Ramesh Kumar (45), a taxi driver and a resident of Rohini in Delhi.

The injured have been identified as Santosh Kumar Yadav (28), Subham Shah (30), Dashrat Ahirwar (25), Arvind Goswami (34), Sahil Kundan (27) and Yogesh Dhawan (44). They are residents of Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the official said.