Air India passenger, 82, ticket mentions 'special wheelchair request to aircraft door’

An 82-year-old woman, a passenger on Air India, has been hospitalised following a fall at Delhi airport. This occurred after she was forced to walk despite pre-booking a wheelchair.

After allegedly waiting for an hour for the wheelchair, the woman, the widow of a decorated army officer, had to walk a considerable distance at the airport with the help of a relative and fell near a check-in counter of the airline.

The woman's granddaughter alleged that she was not even provided first aid. When a wheelchair finally arrived, she boarded the aircraft with a bleeding lip and injuries to her head and nose.

The granddaughter said her grandmother has been in the ICU for two days and the left side of her body is losing strength.

In a post on X, the granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, wrote that they had booked an Air India flight (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday. Among the travelers was her 82-year-old grandmother, whose name, according to a ticket shared by Kanwar, is Raj Pasricha.

The ticket also mentions a special request for a "wheelchair to aircraft door" and states that it is confirmed.

"I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and well-being," Kanwar wrote. Air India, while stating that it fully empathised with the injured lady and wished her a speedy recovery, said the passenger, traveling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended two hours before departure. Family members/relatives accompanying the passenger had reported at the PRM (Person with Reduced Mobility) desk located near Air India's ticketing office less than 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure to request a wheelchair, the statement by the airline claimed. It said that due to the unprecedented peak demand at that hour, a wheelchair could not be made available within the 15 minutes that the passenger's relatives spent waiting for it.

"The claims of the passenger having waited for an hour for the wheelchair are baseless," the statement by Air India asserted. On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall in the airport premises, the statement said and added that first aid was administered on her by the airport doctor. Upon noticing the incident, officials of the Delhi Airport, as well as the airport doctor on duty immediately attended to her and administered first aid.

According to the statement, family members accompanying the old woman refused offers for further medical assistance and decided to proceed with their journey. Upon reaching Bengaluru, as requested by the family members, the injured woman was escorted by Air India staff for further medical attention in the Bengaluru Airport premises, and later escorted until the drop-off point. "At no point was the wheelchair or any assistance denied to the passenger. Air India's staff cooperated with the guests through their journey. We have reached out to the guest's family and pray for her well-being," the statement said.