82-yr-old AI passenger falls, lands in hospital after wheelchair delay

An 82-year-old woman passenger of Air India has been hospitalised following a fall at the Delhi airport after she was forced to walk despite having already booked a wheelchair.

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After allegedly waiting for an hour for the wheelchair, the woman -- 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 the injured passenger was not even provided first aid. When a wheelchair finally arrived, she boarded on the aircraft with a bleeding lip and injuries to her head and nose. The granddaughter said her grandmother had 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 travellers 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 wellbeing," Kanwar wrote.

She acknowledged the crew giving the injured woman ice pack after boarding and called ahead to the Bengaluru airport for medical aid where Pasricha was given two stiches on her lip.

Kanwar wrote she had brought the incident to the noitice of the DGCA and Air India and was awaiting action.

Air India, when asked for response, said the passenger, who was travelling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal “much later” than the recommended two hours before the take-off time.

Family members accompanying the passenger had reported at the PRM (Person with Reduced Mobility) desk less than 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure to request for a wheelchair, the airline claimed.

It said 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 claim of the passenger having waited for an hour for wheelchair was “baseless", the statement said.

On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall on the airport premises, the statement said and added that first aid was administered on her by the airport doctor. Family members accompanying the old woman refused offers for further medical assistance and decided to proceed with their journey, the statement said.

"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 wellbeing," the statement said.