An 80-year-old man died after walking due to the unavailability of a wheelchair at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The incident took place on February 12. The Air India spokesperson said the man, who was travelling with his wife from New York to Mumbai, fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife. His wife was already in a wheelchair.
The spokesperson said that due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, the passenger was requested to wait till he was also provided with wheelchair assistance but he opted to walk along with his spouse.
"In an unfortunate incident, one of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on February 12, 2024 fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was on wheelchair. Due to heavy demand for wheelchairs, we had requested the passenger to wait till he was also provided with wheelchair assistance but he opted to walk along with his spouse. As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in its January 24 order, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) initiated enforcement action and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India for safety violations with respect to flights operated on certain long routes.
According to the DGCA, the regulator conducted a thorough investigation after receiving a voluntary safety report from an airline employee alleging safety violations in flights operated by Air India on specific long-range routes that are considered terrain-critical.
Since the investigation prima facie revealed non-compliance by the airline, the DGCA said a show cause notice was issued to Air India. The safety report pertained to leased aircraft operated by Air India.
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