An unpleasant event happened lately at the Delhi airport when an 82-year-old woman was refused a wheelchair and collapsed close to an airline counter, injuring herself. She reportedly had a wheelchair reserved for her with Air India, but it was not delivered to her at the airport. The victim, who waited for the wheelchair for an hour, is the widow of a decorated lieutenant general.
Following the incident, the elderly woman suffered severe injuries and needed to be admitted to the intensive care unit:
The elderly woman had to walk a considerable distance at the airport with the assistance of a family member after the airport allegedly refused to provide a wheelchair. When her legs finally gave out, she slumped close to an airline counter.
According to the woman’s granddaughter, “not one person stepped in to help” and her grandma was not even given first aid. She suffered injuries to her head and nose and had to board the plane with a gushing lip after a wheelchair was eventually delivered.
The granddaughter disclosed that her grandmother’s left side is becoming weaker after two days in the intensive care unit. According to reports, the elderly woman is being monitored for possible brain haemorrhages.
The lady’s granddaughter brought the event to light, which happened on March 4. The granddaughter, Parul Kanwar, stated that they had reserved an Air India ticket (AI2600) from Delhi to Bengaluru for Tuesday in a post on X that was last changed at two in the morning on Friday.
Among the passengers was her 82-year-old grandmother, Raj Pasricha, whose name appears on a ticket that Ms. Kanwar shared. A verified specific request for a “wheelchair to aircraft door” is also mentioned on the ticket.
According to Parul Kanwar,
“I post this because I have no choice, and because it infuriates me that there is such little value for human life and wellbeing”
Nobody from the airlines assisted them:
Ms. Kanwar recalled that Ms. Pasricha was not given a wheelchair when they arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 (T3). The family reportedly spent an hour trying to get one and asked for wheelchairs from Air India employees, the airport help desk, and employees from another airline, but none could be provided. She penned,
“With no other option, this old lady slowly made her way across 3 parking lanes at T3 New Delhi, on foot with assistance from a family member. She managed to enter the airport on foot, still no wheelchair or assistance was provided. Ultimately, her legs gave way, and she fell – she fell in front of the Air India premium economy counter. Not one person stepped in to help. We requested someone to help get first aid – no help”
She added,
“Expectation from Air India staff was for the family member to go to the MI (medical inspection) room and get medical aid. Finally, the wheelchair arrived, and she was promptly boarded without a proper checkup with a bleeding lip and injury to her head and nose. On flight crew did help with ice packs and called ahead to Bangalore airport for medical aid, where she was seen by a doctor and given 2 stitches (sic)”
Ms. Kanwar revealed that she was writing the article from an intensive care unit (ICU), where her grandmother has been monitored for possible brain haemorrhages for the past two days.
She wrote,
“My mother and father watch as doctors pump her with medication, and her left side loses strength. From where we stand, it’s a long road ahead of pain and recovery which she did not deserve”
Ms. Kanwar went on to say that the family has complained to Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and is awaiting a response.
In response to the event, Air India:
In response to Ms. Kanwar’s post, Air India wrote,
“Dear Ms. Kanwar, we are concerned to note this and wish Ms. Pasricha a speedy recovery. We’d like to connect with you over a call in this regard and request you share your contact number and a convenient time via DM (direct message)”.
When Ms. Kanwar said she did not want the airline to call her without “due diligence and investigation”, the airline wrote,
“Dear Ms. Kanwar, we sincerely wish your grandmother a speedy recovery. We are actively working on the concern and assure you that we will share the complete details at the earliest.”
This is a regrettable situation that demonstrates the airlines’ carelessness and recklessness. What do you think about the same? Tell us in the comments section.
