After Delhi and MP airports, now roof canopy of Rajkot airport collapses amid heavy rains in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A portion of the canopy at Rajkot international airport collapsed amid heavy rains lashing most parts of the state for the past couple of days. There were no reports of any casualties or injuries. The incident came barely a day after a person was killed while many injured in a similar incident at Delhi airport.

A video gone viral on social media showed the canopy collapsed at the passenger pickup and drop area outside the terminal at Rajkot airport. This greenfield airport in Hirasar village is the second international airport in the state after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad which was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi in July 2023.

A press information bureau (PIB) release at the inauguration stated that the terminal building of the airport was "equipped with various sustainability features like Double Insulated Roofing System, Canopies for energy saving, LED Lighting..." among others.

A senior officer with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said, "We are looking into the reasons behind the collapse." Operated by AAI, the terminal building and the airside infrastructure at Rajkot airport was created at a cost of Rs1,405 crore.

A day earlier, the canopy roof and metallic support beams collapsed at the terminal-1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, in which a taxi driver was killed while six were left injured.

In another similar incident on June 27, a section of roof canopy of the new terminal building at Jabalpur airport in Madhya Pradesh fell on a car following heavy rains. However, no casualty or injuries were reported. This building, too, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March.