Indian fliers love wheelchairs. Here’s why that’s a problem

Apr 14, 2024 | 15:51 IST

The facility is widely misused, so passengers who genuinely need wheelchairs on landing — like the 80-year-old man who died of a heart attack at Mumbai airport in February — are deprived of it

Lakhs of fliers place wheelchair assistance requests while booking tickets every year, but it’s an open secret that not every passenger who opts for wheelchair assistance at an airport genuinely needs it. Airlines have condoned this ‘trickery’ so far to attract more bookings, but that could change with the death of an 80-year-old man at Mumbai airport in February.

The man and his wife had arrived on a New York-Mumbai Air India flight that had altogether 32 wheelchair assistance requests, but the airline had placed only 15 wheelchairs on the ground. Due to the shortage, only one wheelchair was available for the couple. Instead of waiting for a wheelchair to return, the man walked to the immigration counter beside his wife and suffered a heart attack.

/india

TOI

TOI

Indian fliers love wheelchairs. Here’s why that’s a problem

The facility is widely misused, so passengers who genuinely need wheelchairs on landing — like the 80-year-old man who died of a heart attack at Mumbai airport in February — are deprived of it

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TOI

Indian fliers love wheelchairs. Here’s why that’s a problem

The facility is widely misused, so passengers who genuinely need wheelchairs on landing — like the 80-year-old man who died of a heart attack at Mumbai airport in February — are deprived of it

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