An 82-year-old woman, the widow of a Lieutenant General, suffered a brain stroke after falling at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The fall occurred after she was allegedly denied a pre-booked wheelchair by Air India. The woman, scheduled to fly to Bengaluru on March 4, had to walk to the airport entry gate after waiting for assistance for nearly an hour. Unfortunately, she collapsed near an airline counter, sustaining serious injuries.
What the victim’s family claimed?
A family member had approached the airline’s assistance desk to request the wheelchair. After waiting for an extended period with no response, the senior citizen and her grandson attempted to walk to the airport entrance. As they reached the Air India premium economy counter, she fell, suffering head injuries, a bleeding nose, and cuts on her upper lip and tongue. Despite her visible distress, there was reportedly no immediate help from the airline or airport staff.
The family claimed that no Air India staff assisted in administering first aid. They were instead directed to go to the medical inspection (MI) room themselves. Eventually, a wheelchair arrived, and she was boarded on the flight without a proper medical evaluation. Onboard, the crew provided ice packs and coordinated for medical assistance upon arrival in Bengaluru. At the airport, a doctor examined her and administered two stitches for her injuries.
The next day, she was taken to the Indian Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, where scans revealed she had suffered a brain stroke, identified as chronic lacunar infarcts.
Air India responds
Air India said, “There are allegations on media platforms that an elderly lady suffered grievous injuries at the Delhi airport on account of Air India. While we fully empathise with the lady and wish her a swift recovery, we would like to state the following based on our investigation: The said passenger, travelling with her family members, had arrived at the departure terminal much later than the recommended 2 hours before departure. 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 for a wheelchair. Due to the unprecedented peak demand at that hour, a wheelchair could not be made available within the 15 minutes that the passenger’s relatives spent waiting for it. The claims of the passenger having waited for an hour for the wheelchair are baseless. On their own accord, the passenger decided to walk along with those accompanying her. She unfortunately suffered a fall in the airport premises. Upon noticing the incident, officials of the Delhi Airport, as well as the airport doctor on duty immediately attended to her and administered first aid.”
“We understand that the doctor’s offer for additional medical attention was not accepted and the guest’s family members insisted on continuing 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. Upon reaching Bengaluru, as requested by the family members, the guest was escorted by our staff for further medical attention in the Bengaluru Airport premises, and later also escorted until the drop-off point. At no point was the wheelchair or any assistance denied to the passenger. Air India’s staff cooperated with the guests through their journey. We have reached out to the guest’s family and pray for her wellbeing,” the Air India statement further read.
The passenger’s granddaughter, Kanwar, posted about the incident on social media, expressing frustration over the airline’s negligence. She criticised the lack of value for human life and the absence of prompt medical care. While Air India attempted to reach out for a conversation, she insisted they conduct a thorough investigation first.