In a substantial setback for Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to the airline on Friday following the demise of an octogenarian passenger at Mumbai airport due to a delay in the availability of wheelchair services. The DGCA has mandated the submission of a comprehensive report on the incident within a week.
This show-cause notice directed towards the Tata-backed Air India stems from an occurrence on Monday involving an 80-year-old gentleman who arrived from New York on an Air India flight accompanied by his spouse. Media reports suggest that the elderly gentleman of Indian descent, holding a US passport, had purportedly pre-arranged the wheelchair facility for himself and his wife while securing their Air India tickets. However, owing to a scarcity of wheelchairs, only a solitary assistant from the airline materialized for the couple.
While the gentleman’s wife took her place in the wheelchair, he opted to traverse the distance on foot. According to reports, the man walked a distance exceeding a kilometer and tragically succumbed to a heart attack midway. The DGCA, in a statement, remarked, “Accordingly, a show-cause notice has been issued to Air India for not adhering to the stipulations of the said CAR in contravention of Aircraft Rules, 1937, and is required to furnish a response to the DGCA within seven days of the notice’s issuance.”
Moreover, an advisory has been disseminated to all airlines, urging them to ensure the availability of an ample number of wheelchairs for passengers requiring assistance during the embarkation or disembarkation process from the aircraft.
