Chennai: Woman passenger injured at airport as footpath caves in; official denied

A woman passenger allegedly sustained minor injuries at the airport here Wednesday after a footpath caved in. A top airport official, however, told PTI that he was not aware of any passenger getting injured, adding, he has asked officials to check.

The passenger, aged around 50, was coming out of the airport complex when the incident allegedly took place. Several passengers have reportedly got injured in the past owing to alleged shoddy maintenance of the airport.

Two years ago, the National Human Rights Commission had issued a notice to the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India based on a complaint that the airport, despite being modernised in 2012, had in recent times witnessed 61 incidents of glass falling and endangering the safety of travellers.

"Gate 2 is used by passengers. Gate 3 where the incident is said to have happened is mostly used by staffers and it is meant for maintenance equipment movement," the top airport official said.

A slight damage to a floor tile is understood to have happened only due to the movement of heavy equipment. The official also refuted the allegation of shoddy maintenance and claims of passengers getting injured.