DGCA issues notice to Air India after passenger dies amid wheelchair shortage

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Tata Group-owned Air India for not complying with the provisions and in violation of aircraft rules, the authority said in a statement, adding that it has asked the airline to submit within a seven days of the issue of notice.

The notice comes after an 80-year-old Air India passenger collapsed and died at Mumbai airport on February 12, due to a shortage of wheelchairs, according to media reports.

According to the reports only one wheelchair available between the two of them, the husband decided to walk from the airplane to the terminal. He walked 1.5 km behind his wife and her attendant, but collapsed and died upon reaching the immigration desk.

The passenger was taken to Nanavati for treatment but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“In an unfortunate incident, one of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on 12th February 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," Air India said in a statement.

The airline added that the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away.

Following the incident, DGCA has issued notices to all airlines to ensure that adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft during their journey.