An 80-year-old man died at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) after not receiving his requested wheelchair on February 12. The man had arrived in Mumbai from New York (JFK) and needed a wheelchair to leave the airport. However, high demand for wheelchairs meant he could not get assistance, and he eventually collapsed at the immigration counter.
The Incident
The passenger walked approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) without assistance from a wheelchair or any airport staff. The deceased passenger was originally from India and traveling with his wife on Air India flight 116 (AI 116) from JFK to BOM. Air India uses a Boeing 777-200LR for AI 116, with the aircraft that landed in Mumbai on February 12 having registration VT-ALK.
Air India released this statement about its inability to accommodate the man:
“Due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested the passenger to wait till he was also provided with wheelchair assistance but he opted to walk along with his spouse,”
The man collapsed after having a heart attack while walking with his wife. He was immediately transported from the Mumbai Airport medical facility to Nanavati Hospital.
An Air India spokesperson said about the incident:
“In an unfortunate incident, one of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on February 12, fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was in a wheelchair,”
Medical authorities later pronounced him dead after he was rushed to the hospital. Air India said they were in constant contact with the family members who were deprived of the situation. They also stated that they would be extending necessary assistance and added that they had set a policy to offer wheelchair assistance to all the passengers who pre-booked the same.
Previous Incidents on Wheelchairs
This incident is not the first one involving airlines mistreating passengers requiring wheelchairs. In August 2023, The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) imposed a CA$97,500 ($72,263) fine on Air Canada for not assisting a passenger with cerebral palsy who requires a motorized wheelchair. The CTA’s reason for the fine was “several violations of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.” There are multiple other incidents involving poor treatment of disabled passengers on Air Canada flights.
Another recent incident involves American Airlines. In November, the carrier came under fire for mishandling a passenger’s wheelchair by dropping it down a luggage chute and causing damage. After reviewing the video of the wheelchair that went viral on social media, American released this statement:
“We recognize how important it is to support the independence of customers with disabilities by ensuring the proper care of mobility devices throughout their journey with us. This visual is deeply concerning and we are gathering more details so that we can address them with our team. We will continue to work hard to improve our handling of assistive devices across our network.”
These incidents highlight the importance of airlines and airports taking care when handling wheelchairs and transporting disabled passengers. Some airlines, such as Delta Air Lines, have created special seats that accommodate disabled customers on flights.
Aftermath
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that an advisory has been issued to all airlines to ensure sufficient wheelchairs are available for passengers who need assistance while entering and leaving the aircraft. Aviation authorities must improve protocols for accommodating passengers requiring wheelchairs by adding more of them onto flights and airports and training staff more effectively.
