The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said it has slapped a showcause notice on Air India after one of its passengers recently collapsed allegedly due to non-availability of a wheelchair at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, leading to his death.
It has been alleged the elderly passenger waited for a wheelchair, but as he did not get timely access to wheelchair at the airport he decided to walk, which eventually led to his fatal fall.
The passenger has been identified as Babu Patel, 76, who had arrived from New York on February 12 by flight AI-116. He was accompanied by his spouse Narmadaben Patel.
As per information released by authorities, both passengers had booked wheelchairs. The passengers were requested to wait as there was a high demand for wheelchairs. One wheelchair was available for Narmadaben. Patel decided to start walking along with his wife, who was in a wheelchair.
After walking a short distance, Patel collapsed near the APHO office. The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) doctor was called and after examining the passenger, he was asked to be hospitalised after being given CPR. The passenger was rushed to Nanavati Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The exact cause of the death has not been specified yet.
Taking a serious note of the incident, the DGCA has called for a report from the airline.
The apex aviation body informed that as per rules airlines are mandatorily required to provide assistance to persons with disability (Divyangjan) or reduced mobility.
Accordingly, a showcause notice has been issued to Air India for not complying with the provisions of the CAR in violation of Aircraft Rules, 1937 and submit a reply to DGCA within seven days of the issue of the notice, a DGCA statement states.
Air India in their statement stated, “In an unfortunate incident, one of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on 12th February 2024 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.”
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First uploaded on: 16-02-2024 at 20:15 IST
