'Claims are baseless': Air India on elderly woman getting injured after being denied wheelchair

The woman wrote on X: "Attaching pictures of my grandmother, at her grandsons wedding on 3rd March, followed by her condition on 4th and 5th March."

An 82-year-old widow of a Lt General landed in the ICU of a Delhi hospital  after she suffered a brain stroke, following a fall at Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was allegedly denied a wheelchair which was pre-booked with Air India.

The airline in response said it  “concerned to note” the incident and wished the woman a speedy recovery. The airline emphasised that it was “actively working on the concern”.

According to news reports, the incident took place on March 4 when the woman was scheduled to take a flight to Bengaluru. A family member of hers approached the assistance desk waited for a wheelchair for an hour.

However, the senior citizen passenger and her grandson walked to the airport entry gate after waiting for so long and then the woman fell near a counter of the airline, causing head injuries, a bleeding nose, and a cut on her upper lip and tongue, the reports stated.

The woman’s granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, shared her ordeal on X, claiming that her grandmother was not provided first aid. She further said that her grandmother has been in the ICU for two days and the left side of her body is losing strength.

“I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing,” she said in the social media post.

She alleged that no one from the airline or the airport staff helped the senior citizen. “With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across 3 parking lanes at T3 New Delhi, on foot with assistance from a family member. She managed to enter the airport on foot, still no wheelchair or assistance was provided. Ultimately, her legs gave way, and she fell – she fell in front of the Air India premium economy counter. Not one person stepped in to help. We requested someone to help get first aid – no help,” she said.

“Expectation from Air India staff was for the family member to go to the MI (medical inspection) room and get medical aid. Finally, the wheelchair arrived, and she was promptly boarded without a proper checkup with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose. On flight crew did help with ice packs and called ahead to Bangalore airport for medical aid, where she was seen by a doctor and given 2 stitches,” she added.

Responding to the post, Air India wrote, “Dear Ms. Kanwar, we are concerned to note this and wish Ms. Pasricha a speedy recovery. We’d like to connect with you over a call in this regard and request you share your contact number and a convenient time via DM."

In February 2024, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed Rs 30 lakh fine on Air India after an octogenarian passenger died after collapsing at the time of immigration process on February 12. A 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 died after collapsing at the time of immigration process.

Air India issues clarification

Responding to this incident, Air India on Saturday said, “There are allegations on media platforms that an elderly lady suffered grievous injuries at the Delhi airport on account of Air India. While we fully empathise with the lady and wish her a swift recovery, we would like to state the following based on our investigation."

"The said passenger, travelling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended 2 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 for a wheelchair," the airline stated.

It added, “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."

"On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall in the airport premises. 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," the statement further read.

It added, "We understand that the doctor's offer for additional medical attention was not accepted and the guest's family members insisted on continuing their travel to Bengaluru. Through this process, Air India staff were courteous, escorted them from immediate check-in through to priority security check and boarding. The passenger was also provided all possible care during the flight from Delhi to Bengaluru."

"Upon reaching Bengaluru, as requested by the family members, the guest was escorted by our staff for further medical attention in the Bengaluru Airport premises, and later also 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 wellbeing,” Air India spokesperson said.