Air India Slapped With Rs 30 Lakh Penalty For Non-Availability Of Wheelchair That Caused Death to Elderly Passenger

Aviation regulator DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India after an 80-year-old passenger collapsed and later died after walking from plane to terminal after not getting a wheelchair. The incident happened on February 12 at the Mumbai airport. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday said a penalty of Rs 30 lakh has been imposed on Air India as it failed to provide any wheelchair to the elderly passenger.

"Further, Air India did not inform about any action taken by the airline against the erring employee(s) and the airline also failed to submit any corrective actions taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future," the official said. Earlier this month, DGCA issued a show cause notice to the carrier, which submitted its response to the watchdog on February 20.

The airline submitted that the elderly passenger wished to walk along with his wife who was on a wheelchair too, rather than wait for another wheelchair. "An advisory has also been issued to all airlines to ensure that an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft during their journey," the official said.