New Delhi, Jun 28 (IANS): The Centre has set up a 24x7 war room to ensure full refunds for cancelled flights or provide alternate travel route tickets as per availability following the closure of Terminal 1 (T1) of Delhi airport following a roof collapse amid heavy rain.
At around 5 a.m. on Friday, a roof sheet and the pillars supporting them outside T1 came down crashing amid torrential rain, killing one person, injuring at least six others, and affecting flight operations in one of the world's busiest airports.
The decision to set up the war room was taken at a high-level meeting convened by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu who emphasised that passenger safety and convenience are of utmost priority.
All refunds will be processed within a stipulated period of seven days. Contact details, including phone numbers, will be provided to the passengers for immediate assistance.
War room helpline numbers:
* Indigo airline
Terminal 2: 7428748308
Terminal 3: 7428748310
* Spicejet
Terminal 3: 0124-4983410/0124-7101600
Terminal 2: 9711209864 (Mr Rohit)
The Civil Aviation Minister has also issued instructions for making passenger comfort a top priority and implementing measures to handle the additional stress on T2 and T3 due to the temporary closure of T1.
An advisory has been released to all the airlines to ensure that this situation does not lead to a steep increase in airfare. Airlines have been told to maintain fare stability to avoid passenger inconvenience.
Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been directed to issue a circular to all minor and major airports to conduct a thorough inspection of their structural strength. These inspections must be completed within the next 2-5 days, and the reports are to be submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.