Wheelchair Woes Continue: Now IndiGo Faces Flak For Allegedly Denying Wheelchair To Senior Citizen

New Delhi: IndiGo Airlines has found itself at the centre of a social media storm after allegedly failing to provide a wheelchair to an 83-year-old woman at Delhi airport. The incident, which occurred on March 5, has sparked widespread outrage and criticism, with many accusing the airline of being "non-customer friendly" and lacking empathy for senior citizens. The incident occurred on March 5th on flight 6E 5061 from Bhubaneswar to Delhi, despite the flyer having requested a wheelchair while booking her flight.

Following the incident, the son-in-law of the elderly woman, posted on X, accusing IndiGo for being non-customer friendly and deeming the response as "shameful attitude". Notably, the incident has surfaced just two days after another elderly woman reportedly left severely injured after she suffered a brain stroke as she fell at Delhi's IGI Airport allegedly due to wheelchair denial by Air India.

According to Dr Bishnu Prasad Panigrahi, the woman's son-in-law, IndiGo failed to provide a wheelchair to his 83-year-old mother-in-law, Susama Rath, despite her requesting one while booking her flight from Bhubaneswar to Delhi. As a result, Rath was forced to walk to their vehicle outside the airport, a distance that proved challenging for her.

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“Indigo flight 6E 5061 Bhubaneswar to Delhi on 5th March, Mrs Susama Rath, 83 yrs wife of Late Prof (Dr) Sanatan Rath, my mother-in-law,  had requested for a wheelchair while booking. Unfortunately, the haughty Indigo did not help her with a wheelchair when she landed in Delhi. She had to walk all the out to our vehicle. Air India and Indigo now have a monopoly, they are no more customer friendly. At least for senior citizens, some empathy should be visible. Shameful attitude,” Panigrahi wrote in his X post.

The post drew a massive backlash for IndiGo, with netizens demanding strict action against the airline.

Following the backlashing on social media, IndiGo responded to the incident, stating that a wheelchair needs to be pre-booked at least 48 hours prior to departure. However, the airline acknowledged that no wheelchair was added to Rath's booking. While IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and assured that they have added a wheelchair for the woman's future travel, many have questioned the airline's customer service standards and their treatment of senior citizens.

Air India Wheelchair Incident

Just days earlier, an 82-year-old woman passenger, the widow of a Lt General, suffered a brain stroke after falling at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, allegedly due to being denied a wheelchair that had been pre-booked with Air India. The incident brought into the spotlight a disturbing trend of neglect and lack of empathy towards senior citizens by airlines, sparking calls for improved customer service standards and greater accountability.