82-Year-Old Air India Passenger Falls At Delhi Airport After Denial Of Wheelchair, Airline Responds
In a tragic incident, an 82-year-old woman air passenger landed in ICU after suffering a brain stroke, following a fall at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was allegedly denied a wheelchair which was pre-booked with Air India.
The airline responded and said it was “concerned to note” the incident and wished the woman a speedy recovery. The airline emphasised that it was “actively working on the concern”.
As per the media reports, the incident took place on March 4 when the woman, widow of a Lieutenant General, was scheduled to take a flight to Bengaluru. A family member approached the assistance desk outside the airport and waited for a wheelchair for about an hour.
However, the senior citizen lady and her grandson walking to the airport entry gate after waiting for considerable time. Unfortunately, the woman fell near a counter of the airline, causing head injuries, a bleeding nose, and a cut on her upper lip and tongue.
The woman’s granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, shared her ordeal on social media platform X, claiming that her grandmother was not provided first aid. She further said that her grandmother has been in the ICU for two days and the left side of her body is losing strength.
In the post she said that they had booked an Air India flight (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday.
“I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing,” she said.
She claimed that no one, neither from the airline nor from the air staff helped the woman. “With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across 3 parking lanes at T3 New Delhi, on foot with assistance from a family member. She managed to enter the airport on foot, still no wheelchair or assistance was provided. Ultimately, her legs gave way, and she fell – she fell in front of the Air India premium economy counter. Not one person stepped in to help. We requested someone to help get first aid – no help,” she said.
“Expectation from Air India staff was for the family member to go to the MI (medical inspection) room and get medical aid. Finally, the wheelchair arrived, and she was promptly boarded without a proper checkup with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose. On flight crew did help with ice packs and called ahead to Bangalore airport for medical aid, where she was seen by a doctor and given 2 stitches (sic),” she added.
Next day, she was taken to the Indian Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru where scans revealed a brain stroke, or chronic lacunar infarcts.
Air India Responds
Responding to the post, Air India wrote, “Dear Ms. Kanwar, we are concerned to note this and wish Ms. Pasricha a speedy recovery. We’d like to connect with you over a call in this regard and request you share your contact number and a convenient time via DM (direct message).
When Kanwar replied saying she did not want the airline to call her without “due diligence and investigation”, the airline wrote, “Dear Ms. Kanwar, we sincerely wish your grandmother a speedy recovery. We are actively working on the concern and assure you that we will share the complete details at the earliest.”