Hyderabad: A piece of the ceiling at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport fell near the departures area on Friday morning, November 17, nearly missing passengers who were headed to their gates.
One of the passengers named Shashi Dharan had completed a security check and was walking towards his gate when the cement block fell down.
“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 injured in the accident,” he said.
Dharan expressed concern over the delayed response of the Quick Response Team. “The fallen object was sharp and dangerous. It took about 15 minutes for the Quick Response Team to arrive,” he said.
The Hyderabad airport officials have acknowledged and taken full responsibility stating that the loose panel was identified during routine cleaning and maintenance adding that they are committed to addressing the incident in question.
The officials stressed the importance of ensuring safety and security for all passengers and ensured that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
Hyderabad Airport expands ‘new east area’
To accommodate surging air passenger count, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) launched its new east area on Friday, November 3.
The expansion project includes additional check-in counters, security screening machines, immigration and emigration counters, and improved domestic and international pier buildings with lounges, retail, and food outlets.
