A few panels of the false ceiling at the arrival hall of the new domestic terminal at Chennai airport were found loosely fitted on Wednesday.
“Passengers entering the arrival hall notice ceiling panels hanging loose. It may not be dangerous now; but if we are faced with a windy situation, like the last time, then the loose panels may pose a risk to passengers,” said an official of Airports Authority of India.
On May 12, about >20 false ceiling panels had collapsed near the security hold area of the departure hall in the new domestic terminal. Officials had blamed it on strong winds and thunderstorm.
“After that incident, officials have been inspecting the area constantly,” said airport director H.S. Suresh.
Wednesday’s incident, officials said, could be the result of poor follow-up to routine maintenance work.
Some of the panels may have been removed to carry out repairs. But they would have been replaced immediately, the official said.
“We don’t know which ones were loose. It may have happened after the ongoing maintenance work. But we are making efforts to inspect every area and ensure everything is set right soon,” the official said.
The inspection process that has been on for a while now will be completed in a week’s time.
“After the inspection, we will contact the false-ceiling supplier, Armstrong Ceilings India, and get the fixtures certified from them,” he said.
Early this month, The Hindu reported that glass panels had cracked on the airside of the new terminals at Chennai airport.
Built at a cost of over Rs. 2,000 crore, they were inaugurated in January.
While the domestic terminal was thrown open for public use in April, the international one is expected to be commissioned in a month’s time.
