The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding the incident of an 80-year-old passenger who collapsed and later died after walking from a plane to the terminal at the Mumbai airport as he did not get a wheelchair, reported news wire PTI.
Aviation regulator DGCA sought a report from Air India on the incident. On Friday, DGCA said it has issued a show cause notice to Air India for not complying with the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). The airline has been asked to give its response in seven days, PTI report said.
In the wake of the incident, the regulator has also directed all airlines to ensure that an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft during their journey.
Reportedly, an 80-year-old man collapsed and died of a heart attack at the Mumbai international airport while proceeding to clear immigration on foot due to a lack of wheelchair support.
The octogenarian Air India passenger, who had requested for a wheelchair at the Mumbai airport but decided to walk as he was asked to wait due to heavy demand for wheelchair. However, he collapsed later at the time of immigration process, PTI reported.
The incident happened at the Mumbai airport on February 12 after the passenger landed in an Air India flight from New York. In a statement on Friday, Air India said that due to heavy demand for wheelchair, it had requested the passenger to wait for an airline staff-assisted wheelchair but he opted to walk along with his spouse. After taking ill, the passenger was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
According to Air India, it is in constant touch with the family members of the bereaved, extending necessary assistance, and added that it has a clearly laid down policy to offer wheelchair assistance to all passengers who pre-book the same, a PTI report stated.
An official of Mumbai airport operator MIAL said wheelchair assistance is purely a service given by the airline.
(With PTI Inputs)
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