Air India has admitted a delay in providing a wheelchair but asserted it did not deny any assistance to her family. The airline also denied the claim that they had to wait over an hour and said the family had arrived late for departure.
Air India received a complaint on Saturday, stating that the lack of a pre-booked wheelchair led to the fall of an elderly woman passenger at the Delhi airport, as reported by PTI. The incident happened on March 4 at the Delhi airport, and the passenger later boarded the flight to Bengaluru.
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In a post on X, the granddaughter of the 82-year-old passenger said her grandmother was treated poorly by the airline and claimed that she was not allocated a wheelchair for almost an hour.
The statement came a day after the woman's granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, accused the airline of negligence in a long post on X. The woman, whose name as per her ticket is Raj Pasricha, is now in the ICU, under observation for potential brain bleeds.
Following an initial response yesterday, the airline shared a detailed statement today with the findings of its investigation and wished a swift recovery to the injured woman. It also said that a wheelchair or assistance was not denied to the passenger at any point in time and that first aid was given immediately, according to NDTV.
The family had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended two hours before departure, said Air India.
"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 a wheelchair," read a statement issued by the Air India spokesperson.
Air India said they couldn't arrange a wheelchair within 15 minutes due to an "unprecedented peak demand," denying Kanwar's claim of waiting for an hour for the wheelchair as "baseless."
The airline added that the airport doctor on duty and other officials immediately gave her first aid. It said the family refused the doctor's offer for additional medical attention and chose to continue 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," said Air India.
At the Bengaluru airport, Air India staff escorted her for further medical attention and later to the drop-off point, the airline said, asserting that at no point did their official deny a wheelchair or any other assistance to the passenger.
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