Air India has been hit with a $36,000 fine and blamed for the death of an 80-year-old man stemming from a wheelchair delay upon arrival at Mumbai Airport.
Air India Passenger Decides To Walk After Wheelchair Delay, Suffers Cardiac Arrest, Dies
On February 12, 2024, Babu Patel and his wife Narmadaben arrived in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai (BOM) after a 13.5-hour flight from New York (JFK) on Air India. The couple had both requested wheelchair assistance upon arrival.
But “due to heavy demand” for wheelchairs, there was a delay in getting both of them a wheelchair. Mrs. Patel was placed in one, but Mr. Patel, hereafter Patel, was told it would take some time for his chair to arrive since so many on the flight had requested wheelchairs.
Patel allegedly decided he did not want to wait and walked alongside his wife toward immigration. Along the way, he collapsed, suffering a cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Now, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation has faulted Air India for “not taking action against erring employees” and also for failing to take corrective steps to ensure an accident like this does not happen again. Air India has also been fined Rs3m (about $36,000).
Tough Case?
Patel’s death is a tragedy. It is a sad way to go and there is reason to believe that the exertion expended in walking from the aircraft to the immigration desks triggered the cardiac episode.
It’s not a surprise that on a flight to/from India, many passengers request wheelchair assistance (that’s a different issue). Furthermore, if the wheelchair was pre-ordered, the delay exposes an unacceptable inefficiency since Air India offers this service as part of its flight package.
But I’m also not sure Air India should faulted for the man being impatient. If you know you need a wheelchair…and it certainly sounds like Patel did here…then I’m not sure you can fairly blame Air India if you refuse to wait and decide to walk yourself.
CONCLUSION
Air India has been fined about $36,000 by regulators after an 80-year-old passenger died while attempting to walk to immigration himself when his wheelchair was delayed. This amount does not include any civil lawsuit or settlement between Air India and the Patel family.
While I think that there are few valid excuses, if any, for Air India to keep passengers waiting who have pre-ordered wheelchairs, I also think there is a certain assumption of risk if you decide to walk when you know your body cannot handle it.
