‘Charge An Additional Rs 5,000’: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Reacts To Video Alleging Airport Wheelchair Misuse

A video circulating on X alleging misuse of airport wheelchair assistance on India-US routes has drawn a sharp response from Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw who called for imposing a hefty fee for the service which is currently provided free.

The original content, posted by a user on the platform, shows a lengthy queue of passengers seated in wheelchairs while airport staff guide them through the terminal. The caption, written in Chinese, translates to, “The departure lounge for flights between the US and India is filled with Indian passengers in wheelchairs. Because disabled travellers receive priority boarding and full assistance throughout the journey, some routes now see up to 80% of passengers classified as ‘disabled.’”

Another user reshared the clip, claiming that Air India faces an unusually high demand for wheelchair services on long-haul flights. The user wrote, “Air India says 30% of passengers on India-US flights ask for wheelchairs. Most are able-bodied travellers scamming the priority boarding system. Real disabled passengers get left short.” The video has so far garnered 11.5 million views.

The conversation widened further when Mazumdar-Shaw commented on the viral footage. Sharing the clip on her own account, she wrote, “They should charge an additional Rs 5,000 per airport and then they will see how many genuine passengers there are!”

Her post has since gained strong traction, crossing 3.47 lakh views and prompting a wave of replies across the platform.

One user said that families were using the service to help elderly parents navigate airports rather than exploit priority access. “It is not about walking, it is about the process,” the user wrote. The user also highlighted that many elderly passengers “don't know English and don’t know where to go.”

Another user wrote on similar lines, saying that children arrange wheelchairs just to make airport transfers easier for their parents. The user said that “doting children… organise this for their parents,” even though “most are fit.”

One of the comments referenced international practice, saying that “in Germany they started charging and people stopped asking,” and added that many NRIs book wheelchairs to “make the immigration process smooth.”

Many users also raised concerns that widespread misuse could affect those who genuinely rely on such support. A user said that “this will eventually hurt the passengers who genuinely need it,” suggesting that “civic awareness” instead of penalties would be more effective.

From the replies, it seems clear that the situation is far from straightforward, as rising wheelchair requests at major airports in India have become a concern for airlines.