Denied wheelchair, woman, 82, falls at airport, critical. Airline refutes charges

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: An 82-year-old woman suffered a fall at Delhi's IGI Airport, allegedly after Air India failed to provide a pre-booked wheelchair, and is undergoing treatment in ICU at Command Hospital Air Force in Bengaluru.

Raj Pasricha, wife of a decorated Lt-General, had arrived at Delhi airport to board a flight to Bengaluru on March 4, when she was forced to walk with support of a family member due to non-availability of a wheelchair, but collapsed near the Air India counter, her granddaughter Parul Kanwar shared in a post on X. She also alleged the airline staff refused to help her grandmother.

The airline refuted the claims, and said the passenger arrived to board the flight much later than the recommended two hours prior to departure. "Due to the unprecedented peak demand at that hour, a wheelchair could not be made available within the 15 minutes the passenger's relatives spent waiting for it, and on their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her," said an AI official, adding the flyer was provided all assistance.

AI's statement came after Kanwar said they spent nearly an hour seeking help from Air India staff and the airport help desk. Another airline, which had a free wheelchair, refused to share it, she said. According to Kanwar, no staff member stepped in to help when her grandmother fell at the airline's premium economy counter at the terminal.

The wheelchair only arrived after Pasricha fell, and she was boarded onto the flight "without a proper check-up, with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose", the family said. During the flight, the cabin crew provided ice packs and arranged for medical care upon landing. At Bengaluru airport, a doctor attended to Raj. However, she later developed complications and was admitted to the ICU, where doctors aremonitoring her for potential brain bleeding and weakness on the left side.

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