Air India Denies Wheelchair: 82-Year-Old Woman Injured, in ICU for Two Days
New Delhi, 8 March – (www.deccanlive.com): An 82-year-old woman, the wife of a Lieutenant General, was denied a wheelchair by Air India at Delhi Airport. She had to wait for an hour but did not get the wheelchair. She then had to walk a long distance.
Later, she fell near the airline counter and suffered serious injuries to her head and face. Despite her fall, no staff member came to help her. She has been in the ICU for two days due to her injuries.
Her granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, shared that they had booked an Air India flight from Delhi to Bangalore. They had specifically requested a wheelchair for her grandmother up to the aircraft door, which was confirmed on the ticket. However, when they reached Terminal 3, they waited for an hour, but no wheelchair was provided.
The elderly woman also suffered a lip injury, which required stitches. The family is upset with the airline for not providing the assistance they had requested and confirmed.
The granddaughter of the 82-year-old woman accused Air India of negligence. She said a wheelchair arrived later, and her grandmother was seated on the plane, but she did not receive proper medical attention. The elderly woman boarded the plane with blood flowing from her lip and injuries to her head and nose.
The flight crew provided ice packs and called a doctor at Bangalore Airport, where two stitches were applied to her lip. She is now in the ICU, and doctors suspect a possible brain bleed.
The family has filed a complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India and is waiting for action to be taken.
Air India expressed regret over the incident, saying, “We are deeply saddened by this incident and wish the woman a speedy recovery. We are conducting a full investigation and will share updates as soon as possible.”
