New Delhi: A handicapped adolescent at the Ranchi Airport was barred from boarding IndiGo flight on Saturday as the carrier’s staff called the panicking kid a “risk to other passengers.
A social media user narrated the whole incident of how the young passenger with special needs was not allowed to board the flight despite constant objections by fellow passengers “who held up their mobile phones with news articles, and Twitter posts on supreme court judgements on how no airline could discriminate against passengers with disabilities.”
"This child is uncontrollable. He is in a state of panic," the Indigo manager kept shouting and telling everyone,” wrote the user adding “all we could see was a young adolescent, sitting very quietly on a wheel chair, terror-striken by how he was being called out as a risk to the normal world.”
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A delegation of doctors taking the same flight assured to provide full support in case of any health episode mid-air could not change the airline employee’s mind.
“There was a delegation of doctors that was taking the same flight. They offered to provide full support to the child and his parents, if any health episode were to occur mid-air,” the user added.
All persuasion by fellow passengers failed and the flight behind three passengers — the child and his parents.
DGCA Initiates Probe
Following the incident, the aviation regulator, DGCA had stepped in and initiated a probe against the airline and had asked to submit a report, said the officials on Sunday, reported new agency PTI.
DGCA chief Arun Kumar told PTI that the regulator has sought a report from IndiGo on this matter.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing this incident and it will take appropriate action, he said.
Statement By IndiGo
In a statement, IndiGo said, "In view of the safety of passengers, a specially-abled child could not board the flight with his family on May 7, as he was in a state of panic."
The ground staff waited for him to calm down till the last minute but to no avail, it said, reported the news agency.
The airline said that the family was made comfortable by providing a stay in the hotel and were flown to their destination next morning.
"We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers. IndiGo prides itself on being an inclusive organisation, be it for employees or its customers; and over 75,000 specially-abled passengers fly with IndiGo every month," it said.