Close call for passenger at Hyderabad airport as a part of roof panel falls

At Hyderabad's RGIA, a section of the roof collapsed, narrowly missing passengers. Shashi Dharan, who was among them, said it took 15 mins for the QRT to arrive. GMR Hyderabad International Airport said they are inspecting all panels to prevent recurrence.

A part of the roof panelling of the Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) near the departures lounge fell on Friday morning. Narrowly missing passengers en route to their designated gates.

In response to the incident, GMR Hyderabad International Airport issued a statement, stating, “We acknowledge that the incident occurred within our terminal. It was identified during routine cleaning and maintenance that a panel joint had become loose. We are currently inspecting all the panels and taking measures to prevent any recurrence of such incidents in the future.”

As travellers who had completed security checks were making their way to their respective boarding gates, the panel fell. Among the passengers was Shashi Dharan, who had a close call with the fallen panel. Recounting the incident, he shared, “I had finished my security check and was heading towards the lounge near gate number 20. As I was engaged in a call, my pace was slow; otherwise, both I and a few other passengers might have been involved in an accident,” he said while speaking to The Hindu.

Mr. Shashi characterised the fallen object as sharp and potentially dangerous. “My primary concern is that it took nearly 15 minutes for the Quick Response Team (QRT) to arrive at the scene. I lodged a complaint with them regarding the incident, and they assured me that they would investigate,” he added. Mr. Shashi is the Managing Director of Bharat Exhibitions based in Delhi and was returning to the capital via a 1.15 p.m. Vistara flight.