Kolkata: There was a scare inside the Kolkata airport terminal's domestic wing when glass shards from a wall panel fell within inches of where flyers were seated. Airport officials said that though no one was injured, they were checking the glass panels in the arrival and departure halls as well as the passenger hold areas.
According to officials, a glass panel near boarding gate no.105 shattered around 10.40am on Wednesday when the place was milling with passengers. The security-hold area caters to passengers boarding flights that are parked in remote bays that have to be accessed using airline coaches.
As small glass fragments fell in a heap, those seated leapt out of harm's way. An airport official said the glass shards were cleared and action has been initiated to replace the broken panel.
While toughened glass panels, particularly the external ones, used to shatter frequently in the first couple of years after the terminal's inauguration in Jan 2013, such incidents had reduced significantly in recent years. The last reported incident was in Sept 2017 when entry gate 3A and 3B had shattered.