In the third such incident in recent times, a glass panel at the new international terminal of the Chennai airport on Sunday shattered and fell in an area that is accessed by the public. No one was injured in the incident as no one was present at the time.
Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, the outer glass pane of a double-sided panel at the airside of the terminal on the mezzanine floor shattered and fell, according to a press release from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The authorities are investigating the continuing incidents involving glass panes.
“We suspect that a small amount of nickel sulphate is present in these glass panes. So when there is a change of temperature the chemical could be causing the glass to crack,” an AAI official said.
The new international terminal was opened recently after several delays and complaints over the quality of construction. In May and June, The Hindu had reported instances of glass panels crashing, and officials had attributed this to poor construction.
Saint-Gobain, which supplied that glass for this project, has denied the presence of this chemical but has agreed to replace the broken panels, the official said.
Another AAI official speculated that problems with the installation of these glass panels could be the reason behind the repeated breakages.
