Flight operations suspended at Delhi airport T1 after roof collapse
New Delhi (PTI): Flight operations have been suspended at Delhi airport's Terminal 1, which is used for domestic flights, till further notice following a roof collapse on Friday early morning that has left one dead and at least six others injured.
The incident happened at around 5 am at the departure area of Terminal 1 (T1) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) amid heavy rains in the national capital.
The civil aviation ministry on Friday said heavy rain has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport T1.
"As a result of which flights to & from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for the smooth operation of the flights," the ministry said in a post on X.
Sources in the know said flight departures have been suspended till 2 pm.
T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport -- which has three terminals T1, T2 and T3 -- handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.
According to the sources, the airport operator -- DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) -- is looking at temporarily shifting operations from T1 to T2 and T3, they added.
The sources also said that soon after the incident at around 5 am, it was decided to suspend the flight departures while passengers who were already inside the terminal took their flights.
The departures were completely suspended at around 7:30 am, they added.
"Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old departure forecourt of Delhi airport's Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 am. There are injuries reported, and emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected," a DIAL spokesperson said in a statement.
As a result of this incident, the spokesperson said all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as a safety measure.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Group, is the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
"We sincerely regret this disruption and apologise for any inconvenience caused." the spokesperson said.
In a post on X, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that he was personally monitoring the situation and the injured people have been shifted to hospital.
"Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at the site. Also advised the airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1.
"The injured have been evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing," he said.
An IndiGo spokesperson said flight operations are impacted due to structural damage to T 1 due to adverse weather conditions.
"This has led to flight cancellations at Delhi as passengers are not able to enter the terminal. Passengers already inside the terminal will be able to board their planned flights, but those with flights later in the day will be offered alternatives," the airline said in a statement.
The airline also said the unplanned situation has led to operations across the network being impacted.
"Customers are advised to keep track of and confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport," it said.
In a post on X, SpiceJet said flights have been cancelled as T1 will remain partially closed for operations until further notice.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
