Air India's Wheelchair Woes: Another Elderly Patient Denied Wheelchair At Kathmandu Airport, Aviation Ministry Urged To Act

New Delhi: A shocking incident has come to light involving Air India's staff handling of an elderly passenger at Kathmandu airport. A complaint has been written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation by Susanta Sekhar Das seeking action. In his complaint, Das alleged that an 82-year-old heart patient was denied wheelchair assistance while travelling from Delhi to Kathmandu on an Air India flight on May 23, despite the wheelchair being booked in advance. According to the complainant, the alleged neglect reportedly led to a serious collapse of the patient's condition at the airport.

According to Das, the ground support staff at Kathmandu airport not only failed to provide the heart patient, with as many as five stents in his heart, with the necessary assistance, but also misbehaved with him. The passenger has taken his grievance to the Aviation Ministry, seeking immediate cognisance of the matter and stern action against the Air India staff involved.

The shocking incident of alleged negligence and mistreatment of the elderly passenger has brought Air India again under intense scrutiny. Susanta Sekhar Das, who is the son-in-law of the affected passenger, Suryakanta Das (82), an elderly heart patient with 5 stents, has lodged a complaint with the Aviation Ministry and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking immediate action against the airline staff.

As per the complaint letter, Suryakanta Das was travelling with his wife, Minati Das (76), from Delhi to Kathmandu and back on Air India flights. Despite booking wheelchair assistance in advance for both passengers, the ground staff at Kathmandu airport failed to provide an Ambu Lift, forcing Suryakanta Das to climb down the ladder, which allegedly put his life at risk. The situation worsened on the return trip when, despite repeated requests, the elderly couple was brought to the aircraft by bus and made to climb up the ladders without support. The cabin crew, too, was reportedly "aghast" at the sight and attended to the passenger.

What Complainant Alleged?

In his complaint letter, addressed to the Director General of Civil Aviation, Susanta Sekhar Das stated:

“This is to bring to your kind notice that I had booked a wheelchair in advance for my father-in-law and mother-in-law for the Delhi-Kathmandu-Delhi sector as per the details provided below: 
Name of wheelchair passengers: Shri Suryakanta Das (82) and Mrs Minati Das (76) 
Delhi to Kathmandu - 17th May by Al 217 
Kathmandu to Delhi - 23rd May by AI 2220

Suryakanta Das, being of advanced age and a heart patient with stents, was wheelchair-bound, and the staff at IGI extended all support to lift him into the aircraft through Ambu Lift, and the cabin staff also sent a message to Kathmandu to arrange an Ambu lift for deboarding at Kathmandu. Despite this prior intimation, the ground staff at Kathmandu failed to arrange for the same, and the patient/passenger was forced to climb down the ladder. The Cabin crew were upset and told me that they would report the matter. The worst treatment was waiting on the return trip at Kathmandu Airport. Since his condition was not too good, we repeatedly requested the ground staff to arrange for an Ambu Lift, and we were told that an Ambu lift had been arranged, and the accompanying passengers were asked to board the aircraft, leaving the elderly couple to be sent by Ambu Lift. But to our horror, after about 10 minutes, the elderly couple were brought to the aircraft by bus all alone and made to climb up the ladders without any support, and the old man was frantically panting and struggling for breath, almost collapsing. Even the cabin crew was aghast to see this sight and immediately attended to settle him down and assured me that this lapse would be duly reported by them. It may be appreciated that by forcing an 83-year-old critical heart patient to climb the ladders despite prior intimation regarding this, the airline did clearly put the life of the passenger at serious risk, and anything could have happened to him at that very moment. I would therefore request you to enquire the matter and take appropriate action against the airline for deficiencies in service and against the erring officials for dereliction of duty, under intimation to me at the earliest. This complaint may please be duly acknowledged by return mail.”

Similar Incidents

The incident echoed a similar case involving an 82-year-old woman who fell at Delhi airport after being denied pre-booked wheelchair assistance by Air India. Despite repeated requests, no assistance was available, leading to her collapse. The elderly woman, widow of a decorated Lieutenant General, suffered a bleeding lip and head injuries and was later hospitalised for possible brain bleeds.

In another incident, an 80-year-old Air India passenger died of a heart attack after walking over 1.5 km due to a shortage of wheelchairs at Mumbai airport. These incidents raise serious questions about Air India's policies and procedures for assisting elderly and disabled passengers.

In response to similar allegations, Air India has previously cited peak demand and stated that the passenger's relatives spent only 15 minutes waiting for the wheelchair. However, this explanation has been contested by passengers who claim to have waited for over an hour.

The Aviation Ministry's response to these incidents will be crucial in determining the course of action against Air India. With the increasing number of elderly passengers, airlines must prioritise their safety and well-being.

In light of similar incidents, the Centre has decided to serve a show-cause notice to Air India for non-provision of wheelchair services to passengers. The DGCA has also taken cognisance of the matter and is expected to take strict action against the airline.

Rs 30 Lakh Fine On Air India

The aviation airline's failure to prioritise elderly care is illustrated by a tragic incident involving an 80-year-old passenger who collapsed and died at Mumbai airport after a flight from New York. Despite booking a wheelchair, the passenger was forced to walk nearly 1.5 km from the boarding gate to the immigration counter due to the unavailability of the assistance he needed. The horrible lapse led to the DGCA imposing a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Air India, emphasising the airline's responsibility to ensure the well-being of its passengers. 

The incident prompted the DGCA to issue an advisory to all airlines, stressing the importance of providing an adequate number of wheelchairs for passengers who require assistance, a directive that appears to have been ignored in the recent case of the 82-year-old heart patient at Kathmandu airport.