Heavy rainwater leaked from the ceilings above several check-in counters and immigration centers and caused computers and other electronic devices to malfunction after the false ceilings collapsed.
Islamabad airport is one of the major international airports in Pakistan. Incidents like this could have caused serious problems in scheduled flight operations since many counters and equipment were damaged.
Read More: Kathmandu <-> Islamabad: The Golden Air Bridge!
However, officials said that operations were not suspended, and flights were operated as scheduled. Officials also said that the repair work was underway and would be completed soon.
This is not the first time the false ceiling at the new airport’s departure and concourse hall. In September last year also, the false ceilings collapsed similarly.
The new Islamabad airport was built at the cost of Rs105 billion and has been in operation since May 2018. The airport has two 12,000 feet long and 150 feet wide runways, taxiways, and aprons for accomodating wide-body aircraft.
The construction of this new airport started back in 2007 and is the largest airport in Pakistan, with a capacity to handle 15 million passengers annually.
Around seven months after the airport came into operations, many incidents, including the collapse of the false ceiling and choking of sewerage lines, were reported.
The presence of stinking water in the office area also became common. Multiple buckets were placed in the ground to collect rainwater inside the main terminal previously. On this matter, Aviation Division Senior Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar said:
“The design of the outer ceilings is such that it allows for entry and circulation of air in areas where there is no air-conditioning. During high-speed winds, we sometimes encounter such a situation.”
