Fliers sweat as AC stops working at int’l terminal

On Friday night, as the maximum relative humidity kissed 80 per cent, passengers at Delhi airport’s international terminal, sweated a little extra, reports Atul Mathur.

On Friday night, as the maximum relative humidity kissed 80 per cent, passengers standing in long immigration or security queues, or waiting in crowded lounges at Delhi airport’s international terminal, sweated a little extra.

HT Image

Around 9.30 pm, just as rush hour began, the airconditioning in the terminal building stopped working. The nightmare continued through the sweltering night and most of Saturday it was 4.30 pm by the time normal airconditioning returned to all parts of the building.

“There was a huge rush and the stuffiness was unbearable. Airport officials and airlines staff seemed helpless,” a passenger told HT.

A Lufthansa official said passengers and staff had spent the night in “subhuman” conditions. “We were flooded with complaints. We passed them on to the maintenance team,” he said.

DIAL confirmed there was a problem with the AC. “The airconditioning system is being modified as part of the upgradation of the terminal. Temporary interruption in chilled air supply was experienced in a specific area under renovation, and it was attended to,” a DIAL spokesperson said.