Airports across the country will undergo a detailed structural inspection after a roof collapse at Delhi's terminal 1 killed one person and injured seven on Friday morning.

The incident led to cancellation of over 100 IndiGo flights. Operations were suspended at T1 and all flights scheduled to leave from the terminal shifted to Delhi airport's terminal 2 and 3. 

“DGCA has been instructed to carry out a high level inquiry into this unfortunate incident. All other airports will undergo a detailed structural inspection,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a X post. 

Civil Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the Delhi airport along with senior officials. "I will see that a thorough examination of (Delhi airport) terminal's structure is conducted by experts to ensure safety," Naidu said in a statement.

The incident in Delhi occurred barely a day after a roof collapse at Jabalpur airport that damaged a parked car. The ministry also advised airlines " to monitor abnormal surge in airfares to and from Delhi and take necessary action regarding the same." Airlines have also been instructed to refund passengers or rebook them on alternate flights

The collapsed portion was part of the departure area forecourt that was built in 2008-09 after the privatisation of the airport. In 2006, the government selected GMR group-led consortium to run the airport on a public private partnership basis. A new domestic departure terminal (T1D) was commissioned in 2009.

Delhi's terminal 1 recently underwent expansion and a new integrated facility was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March. However, the new expanded terminal — which can handle 40 million passengers annually — is yet to open for passenger operations. Delhi airport, which is the busiest in the country, handled over 73 million passengers in FY24.

Delhi International Airport Ltd said it has formed a technical committee to investigate the cause of incident and it will submit a report as soon as possible. The airport operator blamed heavy rains for the incident and said it is working with government agencies to assess the situation and restore operations.

"While the cause of collapse is being assessed the primary cause seems to be heavy rainfall," the airport said. The city received 228.1 mm of rain in 24 hours — the highest 24-hour rain since 1936.

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