DGCA Notice to Air India after 80-year-old US-Indian Dies at Mumbai Airport due to Wheelchair Shortage
Air India requested wait for wheelchair, but passenger walked with spouse due to demand.
On Friday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to Air India regarding the demise of an 80-year-old man who passed away after walking to the terminal due to a shortage of wheelchair assistance at the airport. The notice from DGCA stated that the airline failed to adhere to the provisions outlined in the CAR, violating the Aircraft Rules of 1937.
Air India has been given seven days to respond to the notice.
“The DGCA has issued CAR section 3, series ‘M’, part I, regarding ‘Carriage by Air – Persons with Disability (Divyangjan) and/or Persons with Reduced Mobility’. According to Para 4.1.7 of the CAR, airlines are obligated to provide assistance to individuals with disabilities or reduced mobility to ensure their seamless travel from the departure terminal to the aircraft and from the aircraft to the arrival terminal exit,” the notice stated.
“Furthermore, an advisory has been issued to all airlines to ensure an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers requiring assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft throughout their journey,” it added.
An 80-year-old man, accompanied by his wife and both booked as wheelchair passengers on an Air India flight from New York, collapsed at the immigration counter in Mumbai airport and passed away on Monday.
The deceased, an Indian-origin US passport holder, had pre-booked Air India’s wheelchair facility. The Gujarati couple was booked in the economy class of the Mumbai-bound Air India flight AI-116 that departed from New York on Sunday afternoon. The flight arrived in Mumbai at 2:10 pm on Monday.
“There were 32 wheelchair passengers on this flight, but only 15 wheelchairs with accompanying staff were on the ground waiting to assist them,” said an airport source requesting anonymity.
An Air India spokesperson clarified: “Due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested the passenger to wait until wheelchair assistance was available, but he chose to walk along with his spouse.”
Describing it as “an unfortunate incident,” Air India stated that they were “in constant touch with the family members of the deceased, extending necessary assistance”.
