There isn’t a wheelchair available, so the 80-year-old collapses and dies while going from the airplane to the airport
MUMBAI: On Monday, an 80-year-old man and his wife, who had traveled from New York on an Air India trip as wheelchair passengers, slumped at the immigration booth at the Mumbai airport and passed away.
“Only one wheelchair aide was available for the couple because of the wheelchair scarcity. The spouse chose to go by her and join her as she sat in the wheelchair. After walking for around 1.5 kilometers, he arrived at the immigration area, when he abruptly passed out from a heart attack. After being brought to the medical facilities at the Mumbai airport, he was sent to the Nanavati hospital, according to the source.
The deceased had a US passport and was of Indian descent. They had reserved the wheelchair area in advance. The pair was scheduled to travel in economy on Air India aircraft AI-116, which departed New York on Sunday and headed for Mumbai.
An airport insider who asked to remain anonymous stated, “There were 32 wheelchair passengers on this flight, but only 15 wheelchairs with accompanying staff on ground waiting on ground to help them.”
A representative for Air India said: “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.”
Air India described it as “an unfortunate incident” and said that it was “in constant touch with the family members of the bereaved, extending necessary assistance”.
“We’ve often found that elderly couples aren’t comfortable parting with the spouse and travelling from the aircraft to the airport terminal alone,” a ground crew member who asked to remain anonymous said. When leaving the airplane and making their way through the terminal building, those with hearing or mobility impairments prefer to remain together.” According to a source: “The New York-Mumbai flight was scheduled to land at 11.30am, but on Monday it landed late at 2.10pm.”
Many passengers who want wheelchair assistance don’t really have any mobility concerns; this is a well-kept business secret. “Airlines, including Air India, began charging for the wheelchair facility more than ten years ago. Wheelchairs were given out free of charge to people who had a medical certificate. Then, in response to demand from several organizations, airlines eliminated the need for a medical certificate,” a senior airline official said.
