80-YO Man Collapses, Dies At Mumbai Airport Due To Wheelchair Unavailability; Air India Responds
In a tragic turn of events, an 80-year-old man, who had arrived on an Air India flight from New York with his wife, passed away at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday.
The octogenarian collapsed after walking 1.5 km from the plane to the immigration counter due to insufficient wheelchairs available.?
"The couple had pre-booked wheelchairs but only the wife received one," reported Times Of India.?
"The man was walking alongside his wife and as they reached the immigration counter, he collapsed due to a heart attack."
Air India responds to incident
An Air India spokesperson provided insight, stating, ¡°One of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on 12th February fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was in a wheelchair.?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.?As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away.¡±
Shortage of wheelchairs at Mumbai Airport
According to a source at the airport, there seems to be a recurring problem with a shortage of wheelchairs. They mentioned to TOI that on a recent flight, there were 32 passengers who needed wheelchairs, but there were only 15 wheelchairs available on the ground, and staff was waiting to assist them.
Air India assured that they were in constant communication with the family members to provide any necessary assistance during this difficult time.
Furthermore, a ground staff member shed light on the challenges faced by elderly couples, stating, ¡°We've often found that aged couples aren't comfortable parting with the spouse and travelling alone from the aircraft to the airport terminal. Those with mobility issues, hearing problems prefer to stay with each other when moving from the aircraft through the terminal building.¡±
The flight, which was originally scheduled to arrive at 11:30 am, was delayed and landed at 2:10 pm.
Treatment of disabled passengers at airports??
This incident highlights concerns about the treatment of disabled passengers in airports. In February, a woman in a wheelchair faced distressing treatment during security clearance at Kolkata airport.
?In her post on X, she recounted the ordeal, stating, ¡°Yesterday evening during the security clearance at Kolkata airport, the officer asked me (a wheelchair user) to stand up, not once but thrice. First, she asked me to get up and walk two steps into the kiosk. I told her I can¡¯t as I have a disability. Inside, she again asked me to stand up. I said, I can¡¯t. She said sirf do minute khade ho jao (Please stand for two minutes). I explained again that I have a disability by birth. This appalling lack of empathy has left me shaken, furious. There have been instances in the past too, and show that Kolkata airport has learnt nothing from them.¡±
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